


Bust Your Kneecaps

by VeteranKlaus



Category: The Umbrella Academy (TV)
Genre: Abusive Relationships, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst, Drug Addiction, Gaslighting, Hurt/Comfort, I’m sorry, Klaus Hargreeves Needs A Hug, Klaus whump, Leonard Peabody/Harold Jenkins is a bitch, M/M, Non-Consensual Drug Use, Overdose, Sober Klaus Hargreeves, Unhealthy Relationships, new powers, oof
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-04-24
Updated: 2019-05-06
Packaged: 2020-01-31 07:20:50
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 9
Words: 39,102
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18586474
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/VeteranKlaus/pseuds/VeteranKlaus
Summary: He hadn't planned it. Really, he hadn't. He was going for Vanya Hargreeves, the ordinary one. The weakest one. No one would notice what he was planning.However, then there was Klaus. Number Four. The drug addict, the family reject, the one with promised untapped powers. Closer to the family than Vanya was and yet distant enough they wouldn't notice or care about his involvement, more unstable, with powers. An easy way to start picking the family apart.Or,In which Leonard picks Klaus instead.





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> Extremely short chapter as a teaser for the fic, sorry about that, but future chapters will be much longer!

It's really a fifty-fifty thing. 

He's spent the last few years watching the both of them, getting to know them, their weaknesses, their connections. Admittedly, one is easier to learn about than the other.

Vanya Hargreeves. Number Seven. The ordinary one. She'd been excluded completely from her family since forever. After the academy broke apart, she published a book exposing all of the family's secrets. It damaged her relationship with her siblings to such an extent Leonard believed it was simply irreparable, however, it had been a gold mine for himself. She was still part of the family, would be able to get him close to them all, but she was distant enough with them that none of them would notice him. And plus, something in Leonard - maybe old memories from when he was younger and first heard of the Umbrella Academy, a gut instinct, whatever - though that Vanya wasn't as ordinary as she seemed. She'd be eager to get close to someone, for someone to fill the holes her siblings had left empty, and Leonard wouldn't have to try hard to get close to her. He'd simply need to be nice. 

On the other hand, however, there was one other person - the one he could find infinite information on too easily. While getting to know Vanya was harder in the ways that he couldn't talk to her, not unless he wanted to blow his cover. It was restricted to watching and reading her book. Number Four, however? He was a gold mine. Full of trauma and fear, his drug addiction, his overdoses. Vanya's book had revealed the extent of this. He hadn't been sober since childhood, and he hopped from club to club, alley to alley, lover to lover. His family couldn't keep track of him. None of them could believe anything that came out of his mouth. He had proven himself untrustworthy, unpredictable, pathetic. His family didn't trust him, didn't care for him, wouldn't believe him or hear him out. They wouldn't blink twice at a new man on his arm. They wouldn't bat an eyelash if he went distant. And yet, nonetheless, he was still closer to the family than Vanya was. More involved, less trusted, and he'd dug that hole all by himself. There was plenty of stuff on him in Vanya's book, and plus, he had already met him twice. Not that Klaus would remember it. He could hardly remember how to breathe when he'd spoken to him, pills tumbling down his throat, powder disappearing up his nose, booze drowning his liver. 

Eventually, Klaus wins. If he wins him over, then he's closer to destroying them all. If he can't win Klaus over with peace, then it won't be hard to ruin him into compliance, either. 

 

 

The first time he met Klaus was in some seedy club, and they're twenty-seven years old. Someone outside was passed out in an alley. The bouncer didn't even check his ID. There's men wearing ridiculous outfits dancing on platforms, glitter everywhere, and at least three people completely unconscious. One of them might have been dead, however. He was pretty sure if he stayed in there too long then simply breathing in that air would make him as high as Klaus looked when he found him, all bloodshot eyes, trembling limbs, smudged mascara and staining lipstick, powdery nose and vodka breath. He grins at Leonard, falling into his arms without even asking for his name first, and _that's_ when Leonard knows that when the moment's right, he'll find Klaus sober again.

Leonard wants to talk, but Klaus only agrees to it if he buys him more shots - the bartender had cut him off, apparently - and lets them make out against the wall for a while. And if _that's_ _all_ it takes to get Klaus to talk? Then his family were right to cut him out. Klaus answers a few of his questions - none about his family, but he doesn't ask about them yet anyway - and once he has a better grasp on Klaus and his lifestyle, Leonard leaves him unconscious on the floor for a bouncer or bartender to find later.

 

 

The second time Leonard met Klaus was, unsurprisingly, in a similar situation. They're twenty-eight and he's high again - of course - though it's more alcohol than drugs, admittedly. He grasps desperately at Leonard and paws at him, and Leonard begins to think that he's actually going to have to have sex with him before getting him to talk. Only, something's different this time. When Leonard prods at it, Klaus bursts into sobs. They don't go any further, thankfully, and all it takes this time is to hug him like a friend. Then he spills his guts about being the worst brother ever, a disappointment, etcetera. He kisses him and Leonard shoves him away and leaves for a while. On the way out of the party, he catches a glimpse of Klaus, unconscious outside, and he leaves. 

 

 

From there on, he simply watches. He'll know when he's to make a move, when the moment is right. Sometimes he wonders if he should pursue Vanya instead, but Klaus is a compliant, open book to anyone who holds up a bottle of whiskey who doesn't understand the idea of self preservation, and if he can get close enough that he finds that potential he was reported to having, then his family is done for. And if he can't, well, he can make Klaus ruin himself enough that it ruins his family


	2. Honey Believe Me

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You don't understand how physically painful it is to write romantic Klaus/Leonard lmao. I'm pushing through for you guys.
> 
> Some things to be noted for the future:  
> \- Klaus will not end up going to Vietnam. RIP Dave, but I physically wouldn't be able to stop myself reuiniting them and I have other things planned for them.  
> \- Vanya is still completely unaware of her powers. If they still come into play later, though, will be shown later ;)  
> \- Ben was there during their first two meetings.   
> \- Leonard's probably going to act differently with Klaus than he had with Vanya, 'cause I feel he'd adapt his personality/behaviour to their weak spots. He's still a bitch though. Like, a massive bitch.  
> \- If it seems Klaus moves very fast in terms of a relationships, it's because Klaus hasn't had a real relationship before. He's used to being intimate with people without knowing their names, or only maintaining a relationship to gain something. (Shown also in the show, but that point will also probs be emphasised here in how Leonard knows that fact.)
> 
> Also, thanks so much for the positive feedback on the first part! I honestly didn't expect that because of the whole Klaus/Leonard being pretty uhhh, no, but I'm happy you seem to be pretty excited for this!

Klaus' family _sucks_ , he decides. They're all utterly dysfunctional as a family, unsure how real sibling bonds work - or normal bonds, for that matter - and Klaus decides that the only sane person is Ben, and Ben's dead. They can't even have a normal funeral without beating one another up and breaking their dead deceased brother's statue, and then, hell, they can't even have a normal reunion with their thirteen-fifty-eight year old brother that just dropped out of the sky. Not that Klaus really tried to help much, either. He had been high for the entire interaction with his siblings. No one was surprised.

What was surprising, however, was when Five asked for his help. Despite what his brother might say, Klaus decides it's because he understands that Klaus is simply the superior sibling. The reason doesn't really matter anyway, because Klaus, decked out in ol' Reggie's suit, shards of glass and snow-globe glitter, did end up getting the information Five wanted - or, well, not really. Time was a tricky thing, and what Five was looking for hadn't even been made yet, but the point is that Klaus _got_ him that information. Sure, he was entirely motivated by the twenty bucks he'd been promised - he could get weed with that, maybe not a lot, but enough, or he could save it and put it to his funds for something else. 

And then, as he rambled about what's-his-name and his fabulous osso buco, the little shit teleported away, leaving him in Reginald's suit, light headed - maybe smashing the snow globe against his head _hadn't_ been the best idea - and with no money. 

Klaus watches the taxi with his smug brother in it drive off, throwing up a mature middle finger like the adult he is, and then he slumps back where he's sitting on the street and drops his head into his hands. _Fuck_. He had actually really wanted that twenty dollars, too. 

"It's probably for the best," Ben comments beside him, and Klaus glares up at his brother. 

"How could you think that?" Klaus asks. "We're twenty dollars short!"

Ben gives him a look, settling down on the floor next to him. "And what would you use that money for?"

Klaus snorts. "We both know," he scoffs, dismissively waving a hand. 

Ben lets out a heavy sigh but he nods, resigned and not stupid enough to think anything else. "And that's why it's a good thing."

"Stop trying to be a good influence. It's been years."

"Can you blame me for trying?"

"If I wanted to, but that would be unfair on my favourite brother."

With that, Klaus heaves himself to his feet, running his hands through his hair and shaking out any remaining pieces of glass. He should probably head back so he could wash the drying blood off his face and get out of this suit - if it was anyone other than Reginald's he'd admit how hot it looked on him, but it was Reginald's and he felt gross in it. At any moment now, he'd spout a monocle and start rambling about  _bigger things._

He must have thought too hard about that rather than watching where he was going. Something bumped into his side and he was falling and then - hands hurried to grab him before he could fall. He threw his own hands out, grabbing onto the person as a startled yelp tore its way out of his throat. 

The man above him looks shocked, gripping Klaus out of reflex before he can fall. 

"Shit! Sorry, I didn't see you there," he stammers, and his hands linger on Klaus. 

"Ah, no worries," Klaus dismisses, patting the man's shoulder and going to walk around him.

"Wait! Are you - are you alright? You're bleeding," he points out, gesturing to his face, and Klaus laughs.

"A little bit of blood never hurt anyone." 

The man looks unconvinced and concerned, one hand still lingering on his arm. "Let me help you out," he offers. "Head wounds can be nasty."

Klaus purses his lips together thoughtfully. "How about a drink?" He muses, offering a small smile at the man. While he's not necessarily the kind of man Klaus usually finds himself willing to follow to their house, he supposes there's something. He looks put together but at the same time something in his eyes promise Klaus that that's not all there is to him. He's around Klaus' height, with dark hair and some stubble, and he's simply wearing ripped jeans and a hoodie.

Klaus had promised not to show up to help Five drunk or high (he had been a _little_ drunk) and it wasn't good enough. And plus, now he had no money.

However, the man tipped his head to the side and met his smile. "I might have something. But I'm serious about that head wound."

Klaus snorted, throwing his arm around the stranger. "You had me  _'I have something.'"_

"I said I  _might,"_ corrected the man.

"Close enough. Aprez-vous, mon amie."

 

 

Apparently, Leonard lives close by, which is lucky. Within walking distance at least. When Klaus' head gets a little too fuzzy, dizzy by watching his feet on a never ending path, the man is there with a steady hand. 

"My name's Leonard," he says as they walk, his eyes flicking back to Klaus who raises an eyebrow. It had never occurred to him to get his name. 

"Klaus," he responds, sticking out a tattooed hand which the man, Leonard, shakes. 

 

 

His house is... nice. It feels like a home that's been lived in, not some cheap, shitty apartment that smells like weed, or some cut and clean building that's not a home but an academy. It throws Klaus a bit, but then Leonard leads him into the kitchen and pulls out a seat by the round dining table. 

"This all yours?" Klaus questions, looking around. There's paintings and ornaments and it feels like a normal person's home. It's odd. 

"Hm? Oh, yeah. I inherited it from my father - it's a pretty nice place," he says. He's rummaging around in the cupboards, pulling out a small tub of medical supplies. He sets them on the table and then goes to the fridge, and Klaus' mood picks up when he pulls out some whiskey. 

"As promised," Leonard states, and he brings out two glasses, pouring a little into each. Klaus beams, reaching out to take it.

"Can I look at your head?" Leonard asks, and Klaus raises his eyebrows before nodding, waving vaguely at his head. Free alcohol, free medical care, free of his siblings? _Don't mind if I do_ , he thinks.

"I don't like him."

Ben's standing behind Leonard so that he can see him while Leonard's fingers, careful and gentle, follow the trail of blood to find the wound, parting his hair. His arms are folded over his chest and he's watching Leonard with a guarded expression.

 _Why?_ Klaus mouths, eyebrows knitting together.

"Sorry," Leonard murmurs, as if taking his expression for pain.

"You're fine," dismisses Klaus.

Ben shifts anxiously on the spot. 

"He's... I don't know. I feel like I've seen him before. He weirds me out."

Klaus holds back a snort, biting back his sarcastic retort because he doesn't want to creep out Leonard. The one time he's not smashed off his face and the man isn't either, nor is he necessarily trying to get them wasted. Ben should be proud, if anything.

Klaus decides to ignore him in favour of finishing his whiskey. Would it be rude to ask for more? 

Leonard makes quick work of cleaning up the dried blood on his face.

"It looks like this was from glass?" He says, eyes flicking back to Klaus who nods.

"Yeah... it's a long story, really."

Leonard purses his lips, leaning closer. He uses the flashlight from his phone to get a closer look at the wound. 

"I don't think there's any glass in it, which is lucky. It's not deep either; it'll clear up easy."

He leans back, patting Klaus' shoulder. He finishes his whiskey off and then holds up the bottle, raising his eyebrows once he realises Klaus' glass is empty too.

"Well," Klaus grins, holding it out, "if you're offering."

Leonard laughs a little at that but tops his glass up, sliding into the opposite seat next to where Ben was - he disappeared after Klaus' ignoring. He's probably still around, though. 

"So, uh, how long are you letting me stay here for?" Klaus asks, leaning forwards on the table. "No offense meant or anything, but you're... not the kind of guy I usually hang around, y'know?" 

Leonard raises an eyebrow. "And how'd'you know that?" He replies with a small smirk, and Klaus meets it.

"Fair enough." He slides back in the seat, stretching his legs out.

"The suit's a bold fashion choice."

Klaus looks down at himself and snorts. "Ah. That. It's not mine, I had to borrow it. I feel like an old man," he states, wrinkling his nose up. He downs the last of his whiskey to set the empty glass back down and wriggle out of the suit jacket and the matching waistcoat. 

"Well, you rock the old man look."

Klaus snickers, raising an eyebrow. Leonard's already re-filling his glass. Klaus smiles sheepishly, standing to his feet. 

"I mean, thanks a lot for the whole head thing and the drink, but I... ugh, I should probably leave," he sighs, nails tapping against the table. Leonard stands up, leaving the whiskey on the table.

"Are you sure? I - uh, I don't usually do this, but I'd like to get to know you. We could head out or I could cook something here."

Klaus narrowed his eyes. Had he just been... asked out on a date? He wasn't sober enough for this. For some reason, the idea of a date made him uncomfortable. Unless he meant date as in crashing someone's house party, or going to a particular club that Klaus enjoyed, and getting utterly wasted.

Leonard's hand dipped into his pocket and he pulled out a small plastic bag of something. 

"You don't have to, but this really kicks things up a notch."

Klaus stares at the little bag of colourful pills. He thinks about the hoarse whispers, croaking screaming of  _Klaus Klaus Klaus Klaus KLAUS!_

"Well," he says, "I do know a nice little place nearby."

 

 

They have a couple more drinks before Leonard says he's going to change if they're going out. Klaus decides that without the waist coat and the suit jacket, he'll just completely unbutton the shirt and leave it open. The pants are cool enough, though he ends up borrowing one of Leonard's belts to tighten it around his hips. The bonus of today is that smashing the snow globe has left traces of glitter on the side of his face that'll just _pop_ in the club lighting. Leonard takes one of the pills while he's getting dressed, and Klaus takes one on the way out, swallowing it dry. He sees Leonard tuck the bag back into his pocket and he swoons. A man that can party _and_ seems to maintain a stable life? A dream come true.

Ben doesn't make a reappearance and Klaus worries that he's fucked it up now, but no. He's not even done anything out of the normal for him! He's found way worse men than this Leonard guy, so he doesn't really understand why Ben's being so pissy. He makes a mental note to talk to him later, but for now his mind's beginning to soar and Ariana Grande's playing in the club and hey, Leonard's paying for the drinks.

 

 

Leonard's a horrible dancer, but so is Klaus so it's fine. 

 

 

Half way through the night, he isn't entirely sure what happens. He lets Leonard buy him as many drinks as he wants, because who is he to turn down free alcohol?, and at some point he and a stranger share a joint in the club bathroom. He leaves his drink out while he does that, and when he comes back and finishes it, barely five minutes pass before everything gets worse.

It doesn't take a genius to realise someone's spiked his drink. It's happened a couple times before when he's been as careless as he was tonight, and he can't do much except for hope that if he passes out in the club, then a bartender or bouncer would find him and he'd be fine.

Something taps his cheek. Once, then twice, and again.

"Klaus. Hey, Klaus. Shit, are you okay? I don't think you drank that much."

Klaus' eyebrows knit together. His heavy eyelids peel open to meet Leonard's dark eyes, warm with concern. It's nice to see. Klaus mutters something incoherent, words getting lost on the tip of his tongue. Leonard pulls his arm around his shoulders and hauls him up to his feet, other hand wrapping around his waist when his knees buckle.

"Do you know what happened?" Leonard asks. He's taking him to the door and Klaus thinks _that's nice._ He needs air.

"I... drink," Klaus moans, tipping his head back. "Spiked."

Leonard curses then. "Alright, okay. Don't worry, let's -"

"'m fine. Can get home," he grunts out, and he pushes off Leonard to grab a hold of the door frame as they walk through it, until into the chilled air. They've not even been out for that long.

Leonard chases after him. "No, no, no. That - Klaus - that's not safe. Come on, I'll just - you can crash on my couch or something."

Klaus groans at that, but then considers his options. Go back to the academy and deal with his siblings, head back to his own place (which is whatever alley isn't already occupied), or take the offer. 

"Okay."

 

 

They get a taxi home, Leonard deciding Klaus is too out of it to walk back to his, which is fair enough because he can't really keep his eyes open. At least he does try to hold some of his own weight when they stagger up the stairs and through his front door. Klaus tries to crack some jokes to keep the mood light, but he can't really get to the punch line of any of the jokes so they all fall flat, earning a pity laugh from Leonard who's more focused on keeping him upright than anything. 

He lowers him onto his couch and Klaus melts into the soft cushions and the tangle of throw blankets on it, glad he's finally laying down so that it at least slows down the rate the room's spinning at. He hears Leonard wandering around, occasionally knocking into something - he isn't sure how much he drank or had, although he seems to be sobering up - and he comes back a few minutes later with a glass of water. He coaxes Klaus into sitting up so he can sip some of it, even if some spills down his cheek. 

"You're so nice," coos Klaus, reaching out to run his hand down Leonard's face. "Thanks for the... for the drinks... 'n', oh... the pill, thank you, thank you."

He props himself up, tipping forwards and sloppily kissing his cheek, hand carding through his soft hair. Leonard simply pushes Klaus back into the couch with gentle hands, hushing him.

"Get some rest, Klaus. I'll check on you," he assures him, and Klaus feels a blanket fall over him, hears movement for a while longer, and Klaus thinks that it's odd. If he goes home with someone from that club it's always for sex. He's not necessarily complaining, however, and he falls asleep before Leonard can come back in.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you enjoyed! Sorry for the still shorter than usual chapter, I'm pretty unsatisfied with this one tbh.


	3. I'll Have Your Heart on a Platter

Klaus' head hurts. His mouth feels like he's gone a week without water and his stomach threatens priority above all that. _However_ ; he's warm, dry, clothed, and on something too soft to be a floor and too small to be a bed. 

Klaus cracks open his eyes with a groan and he forces himself to sit up. He looks around at the house he's in and then he spots the glass of water and two little pills on the coffee table, next to a sticky note.

_Painkillers - figured you might need them :)_

And god, he does. He takes them with messy hands and then spends the next few minutes focusing on untangling his legs in the blanket that had been thrown over him. 

He can remember the beginning of the night yesterday but after, it all became a blur. He rubs his eyes, looking around the place. Ben's lounging across an arm chair. 

"Nice to see you again," Klaus croaks. He swings his legs over the couch and stands up, but his head spins and he sits back down.

"How are you feeling?" Ben asks. 

Klaus drops his head into his hands and stops himself from saying  _too sober._

"Oh, good, you're awake."

Leonard's quiet when he enters the room once more, and it's only then that Klaus notices the smell. Perfectly cooked, steaming bacon and fried eggs, and Leonard puts a plate of it on the coffee table in front of him.

"How are you?" He asks, and then gestures to the food. "I made breakfast. Thought you might be hungry."

With the confirmation that it is for him, Klaus reaches out to pull the warm plate onto his lap and breathe in the mouth-watering smell. He picks up one piece of bacon, crispy and cooked perfectly how Klaus likes it, and he bites a small bit off and swallows it before answering.

"I can't remember half the night," he admits, to both Ben and Leonard. Ben looks concerned and Leonard lets out a sigh.

"I didn't think you want," he admits, and Klaus raises an eyebrow. Not that he's unfamiliar with forgotten nights, but still.

"I found you half-unconscious in the club. You said you thought your drink had been spiked. I didn't know what else to do, so I brought you here to sleep it off," he explains, and Klaus nods in acknowledgement. 

"Feels about right," he mutters, clearing his throat. He stares at the plate in his hands, the blanket that he'd been tucked in with, the painkillers he'd woken up to, and something inside him twists. He clears his throat. "Uh... thank you. For... you know," he says, vaguely waving a hand. Leonard smiles at him.

"Don't worry about it. Just rest up. I didn't want anything bad to happen to you," he says, and Klaus averts his gaze, his cheeks hot.

Leonard puts some music on while they eat, and Klaus' foot taps along with it. It's not too loud, thankfully, though it fills the silence as they eat breakfast. Klaus can't finish it, although he wants to. It had been cooked perfectly, and Klaus feels bad when he says he's full. Leonard, however, waves his guilt away with a smile and puts the dishes away. 

"I'm sorry," Ben says once Leonard leaves the room. "I wasn't with you last night. I could've told you about your drink. Something could have happened..."

Klaus waves a hand. "Nothing did, though. I'd need a break from me if I were you too," he shrugs, offering a light hearted smile. Ben doesn't find the situation as easy to brush off, however.

"I'm serious, Klaus. I'm sorry. I got pissed and I left and you could've gotten hurt," he says, and he looks down at his clasped hands and shakes his head.

"Hey, hey, stop that. Apology accepted, okay? We're even."

Ben looks distressed but he eventually nods. "I guess I'm glad Leonard was there," he admits quietly, and Klaus throws him a grin.

"Yeah... me too. He's strange. I'm not even naked, Ben. That's, like, a record for me after a night out with a man. Are you proud?"

Ben snorts, rolling his eyes. "It's a start. Try going for the sober side of things and I might admit that."

"Ooh, sly. No thank you, Benny boy."

Ben gives him a sad, exasperated look, and Leonard comes back in. 

"Can I get you a drink or anything?" Leonard asks, and Klaus gives him a grin.

"I don't suppose you've still got whiskey left?"

Leonard snorts. "Not at nine in the morning," he says, and Klaus deflates.

"I was going to make myself a hot chocolate, if that's good enough," he offers, and Klaus purses his lips.

"I'm down for that."

Leonard flashes a smile and nods, and he disappears into the kitchen for a few more minutes before he comes back out with two mugs topped up with steaming chocolate and whipped cream. He has a little tub of tiny marshmallows, too, and Klaus immediately perks up. Leonard shakes the tub of marshmallows and raises an eyebrow. When Klaus eagerly nods, he chuckles and expertly sprinkles some along the whipped cream, and then hands it to Klaus.

"I want to say sorry," Leonard says. He sits on the couch next to Klaus, though leaves a small space. "I was eager to go out last night. If we'd stayed in, that wouldn't have happened."

Licking whipped cream off his lips, Klaus shakes his head. "No, no, don't think that. I have a track record of being reckless with my drinks. It's not your fault."

Leonard looks slightly taken aback. "It's not yours," he counters, and Klaus shrugs.

"Then it's no one's," he deals, and Leonard stares at him for a moment before turning back to his hot chocolate, and Klaus smiles in victory before turning back to his own drink.

"I'd like to make up for it."

Klaus glances up, humming in acknowledgement.

"Probably not in that same club. I've been told I'm not a bad cook, though, and I have a lot of movies," he offers.

"A movie night?" Klaus rephrases, raising his eyebrows and laughing until he realises Leonard's serious. It's been a while since he did something like that, he thinks.

Klaus smiles into the mug of hot chocolate. "Sure."

 

 

Leonard pays for his taxi home later on, and Klaus writes his address on the back of his hand and promises he'll come back later, but he's serious about wanting to get out of Reginald's suit and he desperately needs a cigarette and a drink. At the door, Leonard reaches out with soft hands and holds his chin in a way that makes Klaus' heart stammer, and he lets him press a kiss to his lips and linger his hand on his hips.

 

 

"Is this a new Klaus?" Ben asks in the taxi. "Dedicated to one person, going to movie nights and not doing cocaine?"

Klaus snorts. "Well, don't cancel the last bit out just yet."

" _Klaus_."

"Hey, hey, calm down. It was a joke."

"Was it?"

"Eh."

Klaus grins at his exasperated brother who slumps into the leather seat of the taxi for the rest of the ride. 

 

 

He can hear everyone talking as he enters and he makes his way over to where everyone's sitting.

"Nice of you to join us," Luther comments as he comes inside, and Klaus ignores him.

"Where were you, Klaus?" He continues, and Klaus spins around, hands up in mock-surrender.

"Out," he shrugs, and then spins away towards the bar. "I was getting breakfast. I'm here now though. Family meeting?" He asks, looking around. His hands move of their own accord, finding a bottle of Reginald's expensive liquor and pouring out a generous amount for himself. He swirls it around, watching it in the glass, and then lifts his gaze up. Luther's eyes linger suspiciously on Klaus, who simply brushes it off. 

"Allison found something about dad's death," Luther states, gesturing to the small television they'd brought down and set up on the bar. Seemingly done with waiting, Luther pressed play on the tape. They all lean in to watch as Grace enters their father's bedroom, watching impassively as their father gasps for air, fingers twitching painfully. She does nothing except sit on the edge of his bed and watch him, and then she leaves as if nothing happened, offering no help and leaving him to die. It's... almost hard to watch. Almost.

"Mom poisoned dad," Luther announces once the tape had played. Diego snorts.

"Of course she didn't," he replies, shaking his head dismissively. Luther gives him a look.

"What else was she doing, then?"

Diego wanders up to the television. "All that low gravity's gone and messed up your vision, huh? Look closer." He rewinds the tape to the beginning, urging Luther to lean in for a closer look.

"Dad has his monocle. Mom stands up, monocle's gone. She wasn't poisoning him, she was taking it from him... to clean it."

Klaus laughs slightly at the revelation, nodding.

"That doesn't make sense," responds Luther, "where is it? I've searched the entire house and it's not here."

Diego clears his throat awkwardly. "That's because I took it. After the funeral."

"What the hell, Diego?" Allison asks, scoffing. 

"Give it to me," demands Luther, stepping closer.

"I threw it away. I knew that if you found it on mom, you'd lose your shit, just like you're doing right now!"

Luther grumbled something and Diego defensively raised a knife when he stepped forwards. Vanya, closest to them, stepped forwards.

"No, hey, calm down," she said, raising her hands. "Look, I know dad wasn't exactly an open book. But I do remember one thing he said; mom was designed to be a caretaker, but also as a protector... she was designed to step in if someone's life was in jeopardy."

"So, her hardware's degrading..." Luther mutters. "We need to turn her off."

Klaus raises his eyebrows. "Uh? What?" He turns to Diego, giving him a questioning look. Diego just nods his head with a frustrated face, his arms crossed on his chest.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, wait. She's not just a - a vacuum cleaner you can throw in a closet! She feels things, I've seen her!" Diego growls. 

"Well... group vote?" Klaus suggests, speaking up for the first time.

"I'm with Luther," states Allison, leaning back against the wall.

"Of course you are," snorts Diego, eyes narrowed. Luther glares at Diego before turning to Klaus.

"Well? What about you?" He asks.

Klaus purses his lips thoughtfully, drawing the moment out. "I'm with Diego," he eventually says. Diego does a mock bow, pointing a finger at Klaus. "Because screw you, Luther. If Ben were here, he'd agree with me," he adds tearfully. Ben glanced up from where he stood, shaking his head. 

"No, I don't," he says, and Klaus hisses. 

"Okay, Vanya?" Luther urges. The brunette hesitates.

"Oh, I don't know..."

"Yeah, she shouldn't even get a vote."

"I was going to say I agreed with you," she defends, and Diego raises his hands.

"Okay, she does get a vote. There, majority vote, fuck off, Luther."

"Five isn't here," Vanya states, rising to her feet. "We should wait for him to come so we all have a say in this."

"She's right," Luther agrees. Klaus wonders if he's just hoping Five will agree with him so at least it's balanced.

"So we come back to this whenever Five decides to make an appearance?" Klaus hums. His eyes flick to the clock on the wall, ticking away. "Well, I'm gonna off. See ya around," he says, following Allison's lead and leaving the room. He hesitates in the hallway before heading upstairs and going into the bathroom. He runs the bath and then ducks into his bedroom, finding his music player and earphones and the little wooden box he keeps under his mattress. Almost at the exact moment he pulls it out, Ben groans.

"Klaus, please," he says uselessly, watching Klaus unlock the little box to reveal a safe stash of weed, filters, and skins. He pointedly ignores Ben as he skilfully makes the joint, pulling out a cigarette from the box to open it and mix the tobacco from the cigarette with the weed. He rolls the joint with something akin to pride in his handiwork, and then he puts the little wooden box back underneath his bed, grabs his music player and a lighter, and heads to the bathroom. 

"One little joint isn't going to do me any harm," he tells Ben when he slides into the tub, pouring a generous amount of bubble mixture into the almost too hot water with him. 

"You said that years ago," states Ben coldly, and Klaus grins sheepishly at him. 

"Yeah, well... oops," he shrugs, and he blocks Ben's scolding look out by plugging his ears with his earphones and he pressed play on his 'bathtime' playlist and let the music wash over him. He relaxed for a few minutes before he reaches out to light his joint, balancing it between his lips and sighing it in. It burns its way down into his lungs and settles, then tumbles past his lips once more in the form of a thick cloud. He feels the initial rush of dizziness that comes from the mix of tobacco and weed and he lets it rock him in time to his music, his eyes fluttering shut, and nothing else matters. 

It burns out at some point, and he slips underneath the water, earphones falling out and hanging down the wall, and the hot water's peaceful, no sound reaching his ears, and he feels weightless.

_Klaus..._

_Klaus..._

_Help me, Klaus. Help me. Help me. He's coming, he's coming, he's coming - Klaus!_

_Klaus, you can't run. Klaus!_

Klaus jolts out of the water with burning lungs, shaking hands flying up to rub his eyes and rub away the ghosts in his vision. He splutters for air and realises he lost his earphones at sometime. Eagerly he reaches for them, shoving them back into his ears with a sigh of relief, and then he reaches for his half-burnt joint and he holds it between his lips to light it. The familiar sting is comforting to him, and he clings onto it like a lifeline until the joint burns out completely and he burns his finger on the smouldering stub. With a groan, Klaus pulls himself out of the tub, letting it drain, and he wraps himself in a towel and tying another around his short hair. 

He makes his way back to his bedroom and swings his open his wardrobe doors, bloodshot eyes roaming his clothing options. He's really just glad to get out of Reginald's suit now, and back into his clothes, even if they're not actually his because he ends up putting on a summer dress that once belonged to Allison. He tops it with a black furry coat, a brown fedora-style hat and his favourite pair of boots, and it's as he's reapplying his eyeliner that he hears something. 

Gunshots.

He looks up, startled, because none of them own a gun. He shares a look with Ben, still wavering in and out of existence, because they're right outside his bedroom. Klaus throws himself to the ground, listening to more gunshots and thuds and grunts that clearly come from Diego. At the least, he's thankful to hear the gunshots going further away from his bedroom. He looks at the clock. He's going to be late for Leonard's.

There's more yelling - Allison, now, then Luther and Diego arguing - and Klaus groans, but he keeps low as he sneaks out of his room. Ben follows ahead of him, reporting back to him that yes, two people in masks just broke into the academy. A women and a man, just splitting up. He weighs his options. Allison and Diego are taking on the woman in the kitchen, according to Ben, and Luther's - he's not sure. Wandered slightly. Then, he hears Vanya, and realises she's headed right in the direction of the man.

" _Fuck_ ," Klaus whines, because he just wants to go have another joint or something. Instead, though, he puts himself in the role of good brother and launches forwards.

"Vanya!" He calls, and he throws himself onto the man's back. The man startles, hit missing Vanya and giving her time to stagger to the side and out of his range, and Klaus just clings on. He can't quite reach his throat with the mask on, so he settles on thumping his fists against down on his back until the man runs back, crushing Klaus between himself and the wall. All the air in his lungs escapes him and as he slides down the wall, he sees the man advance on him, swinging a _mace_ of all things. 

"Hey, asshole."

Klaus doesn't think he's ever been more grateful to hear Luther saying that in his life. 

He crawls along the wall as they fight, cringing at the two brutes, until he reaches Vanya.

"Are - are you alright?" He asks, gripping her arms. She still looks like she's in shock but she nods, moving further back with him.

Klaus heaves himself to his feet with a pained grimace, leaning against the wall. He debates stepping in but thinks he might honestly die if he gets caught between the two bigger men, especially when the masked man meets Luther in a charge and lifts him and -

"Luther!" Klaus yells, unsure how much of the sound was from the table breaking beneath the men or _from_ the men. 

No one moves for a long moment, but then the masked man gets up and doesn't even give him or Vanya a second look before leaving the room. 

Then, they scramble to Luther's side, helping him up.

"Shit, big guy, are you okay? That - that would've fucking killed me," Klaus states, looking at the mess of a room around them. Luther's slightly leaning on him but he looks surprisingly alright for someone who just got wrestling-slammed into a table.

He hears footsteps and he fears the man's return, but it's only Allison and Diego, looking a little roughed up as well but not too badly hurt. Klaus wished he could say the same for his poor, aching ribs. 

"Everyone alright?" Diego asks, and he looks almost surprised to see Klaus there, as if expecting him to have ran away already. He looks almost... proud. It's something Klaus hasn't seen much, and Klaus perks up a bit, focusing on the positive side of that.

"I need a massage," Klaus murmurs sadly, only for it to be drowned out by Allison's sudden gasp.

"Luther!" She yells, looking up. They all follow her gaze, only to come face to face with the woman cutting the chandelier down that was hanging right above them.

Klaus only has a moment to think shit, bracing himself for impact, but Luther lashes out to shove him and Vanya away before it can crash on them.

He feels the gust of air as it barely misses him, and Klaus hurries to scramble back before realisation hits and he turns to stare at Luther's motionless form underneath the mess of the chandelier. He's ready to get out and try and help heave the thing off of him, but he doesn't have to. Luther lets out a low groan but, slowly, he gets his hands underneath him and pushes himself up. The chandelier frame falls off him, cutting his jumper and pulling it off his bulked up torso. 

"Holy..."

"... shit," Diego finishes. 

Luther's certainly bulked up, complete muscle underneath his jumper and overcoat, but his skin's grey and covered in thick, dark hair much like Pogo's. His eyes roam over everyone, startled, and he hurries to leave the room to avoid explaining himself. Klaus can only stare after him, shocked. 

After checking over everyone to make sure no one's seriously hurt, everyone slowly disperses. Klaus helps himself to a quick drink from the bar, deciding he's very much earned it, and he finds his hat that had fallen off in his scuffle. He wipes some dust off of it and sets it back on his head, and he's horrified to see that he's already an hour late for Leonard's.

"Shit," he mutters, dragging his hands down his face. He's way too sober for his liking and he can't take in a full breath without his ribs protesting furiously, and he's late. Of course nothing goes right for him. 

"I'm proud of you," comments Ben, voice soft. Klaus gives him a tired smile.

"I'm a great brother," he simply responds. He pulls his coat tighter around himself and he heads to the door. He hesitates in the doorway, looking back into the mess of the academy. Everyone's alright, though, and Klaus decides that if he hasn't got the money for a heavenly syringe that'll make his body and mind utterly relax, the least he deserves is a god damn movie night with a man that seems interested in him.

Klaus leaves the academy and begins the walk there, Ben silent by his side. 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you enjoyed, feel free to leave a comment or a kudos, I appreciate it all!  
> You can reach me on Tumblr @veteranklaus.


	4. You Told Me You Were No Fool

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Literally just a ton of fluff which makes me sad cause it's Leonard lmao. Nonetheless, enjoy!

Klaus all but runs to his door once he gets into the street, stumbling to a halt just in front of the door to Leonard's house. He takes a moment to compose himself and smooth his hair down, and then he raises a finger to press the doorbell. He wrings his hands anxiously, teeth toying with his bottom lip. He only has to wait a couple of moments before the door opens. Leonard's there, looking a little stressed but then quickly relieved when he sees Klaus.

"Klaus! I was beginning to think you weren't coming - are you alright?"

Klaus smiles, waving a hand. "Yeah, yeah, I'm sorry - shit happened at home and I came as soon as I could. It's... a long story. Can I come in?"

Leonard nods and steps aside, letting Klaus wander inside. 

"You look nice," he comments, eyes roaming up and down Klaus. He feels his cheeks heat up slightly and he flashes the brunette a smile.

"Thank you! Thought I'd doll up," he jokes, and he does a little twirl that makes the dress puff up around his thighs. With a hand on the small of his back, Leonard guides him into the living room. His other hand gestures at the television. 

"If you want to look at movies, I can cook us something if you haven't eaten," he offers, and Klaus nods his head eagerly. He's starving. Leonard grins at him. "It's a surprise," he adds, and Klaus raises his eyebrows.

"I love surprises," he shrugs, and he crouches down by the stacks of movies, hands clasped beneath his chin, and Leonard's hand lingers on his shoulder before he disappears into the kitchen.

The living room's warm, lamps on to illuminate the room dimly, and there's a candle lit on the coffee table as well as new flowers that he was sure hadn't been there when they were eating breakfast. He had a lot of movies, too, ranging from sappy love films to horror films which Klaus steered clear of - as much as he wanted to look 'cool' and 'tough', he hated horror movies. He blames Reginald. There were some comedies, some fantasy films, action films. Klaus let his fingers dance over the covers, occasionally pulling one out. He glances over to Ben, lounging on an arm chair.

"What genre?" He asks, eyebrows raised. Ben hums and looks over, climbing off the seat and crouching by his side. 

"You never did get to finish _The Hobbit,_ " he points out, jabbing a finger at the first movie. Klaus nods his head, pressing his lips together thoughtfully. "Or there's _Harry Potter_ \- but the dementors aren't nice... I vote for Jack Sparrow. You broke up with the dude who was watching those movies before I could finish them, after all."

Klaus glares at Ben and pointedly moves past the set of  _Pirates of the Caribbean,_ opting for  _The Hobbit_ instead. Ben flips him off and Klaus blows a kiss to him. He fiddles with the television for a moment before he finds out how to turn it on and insert the disc. Then he crawls back onto the couch that had been covered in blankets. He throws a glance over to the kitchen. He can hear Leonard humming.

It's still an... odd situation for Klaus. Any other man and they'd already be passed out in a mess of limbs, or in a club scamming shots from the bartender until Klaus feels happy again. He doesn't know what Leonard expects from him, or what to expect from Leonard. It unsettles him. He could predict other people - always just alcohol, drugs, sex, alcohol, drugs, sex, nothing more - but this was unfamiliar territory. 

Klaus wonders into the kitchen, boots clicking quietly against the floor. Leonard's standing by the oven, humming a song under his breath. When he hears Klaus come in, he turns around, smiling softly. "Picked a movie?" He asks. Klaus nods his head and smiles when Leonard raises his eyebrows questioningly. 

"It's a surprise," he says, and Leonard snorts. 

"You're funny," he jokes, and Klaus grins. He watches Leonard step to the side, ducking into the fridge. He comes back holding up two different bottles of wine and champagne, raising an eyebrow. Klaus purses his lips thoughtfully before pointing at the first one. Leonard pours them both a generous glass, handing it over, and Klaus takes a small sip. Declaring it not bad, he takes another sip and leans back against the table. 

"Can I ask what happened? You looked pretty pale when you came," Leonard comments, waving a hand.

Klaus lets out a dramatic groan. "You wouldn't believe me," he says, and Leonard's lip twitches.

"Try me," he insists.

Klaus takes a breath and another sip of the wine in his grasp. "Two people in suits and kid's masks broke into my house and shot the place up for, like, no reason, and the dude crushed me against the wall and body-slammed my brother into a table before dropping a chandelier on him. It tore his shirt and he's - he's fucking jacked and as furry as an ape. Still no idea why those people actually came to our house in the first place. Dude came at me with a fucking _mace_. It's... god, it was a bit distracting, y'know?" He explains in a burst, and then he laughs a little at how insane that sounds. He wouldn't believe himself. He takes another calming sip of his wine, lips twitched upwards in amusement.

Leonard stares at him with a shocked expression and Klaus points a finger at him with a laugh. "See! It sounds crazy!" He exclaims. 

"Are you... are you in the Umbrella Academy?" He blurts, and Klaus staggers.

"Yeah," he says, then laughs, "yeah, I am."

"Sorry, sorry - it just popped into my head. I thought your name sounded familiar. Maybe they were there for one of you, or your dad?" Leonard suggests with a shrug, and then he reaches, running a hand down Klaus' arm. He tips his head to the side and asks, "are you hurt?"

A shiver runs down Klaus' spine and he shrugs, glances aside. "It's fine," he dismisses. "I got off pretty easily," he admits.

Leonard throws a glance at the oven before taking Klaus' wrist and guiding him gently back to the living room.

"Dinner's still got like fifteen minutes," he states, setting his glass onto the coffee table. "Take your coat off," he requests, and Klaus does so, draping it over the couch before slumping into it compliantly. "Lay down." 

Klaus does so, setting his wine aside and stretching out on the couch. It dips as Leonard sits on the edge, and then he feels his hands running down his back gently. Klaus lets his eyes flutter closed, relaxing as Leonard massages the tension from his shoulders and distracts him from the ache in his ribs. 

" _The Hobbit_ , huh?" He says, voice low, and Klaus huffs a laugh.

" _Shhh_ , it's a surprise," he jokes, cracking an eye open to peer at the starting menu on the television screen.

"I approve of your choice," comments Leonard. 

"So, you don't mind I'm some Umbrella Academy freak? You hit up the lamest one of them, my dude," Klaus snorts quietly, turning his face so he can hear and see Leonard better. He's mostly focused on the massage he's offering, however.

"Oh, I doubt that," he retorts, as if scolding Klaus for his joking self-loathing. "You seem pretty cool to me."

Klaus laughs softly. "You think I'm cool?" He asks with a mock-childish tone, and Leonard gives him a playful look. 

"Dumbass, of course I do," he laughs affectionately, and Klaus lets his eyes close again with a smile.

There's a ding from the kitchen and Leonard's hands disappear. "One second," he says, standing up. He picks up both of their glasses. "Top up?" 

Klaus nods, although he hadn't drank too much of it yet anyway. He sits up as Leonard disappears into the kitchen, coming out once to put their glasses of refilled wine on the coffee table, then returns once more with their dinner. Klaus takes his plate from him, mouth slack at the steaming plate piled high with perfectly cooked steak, sided with potatoes and vegetables and sauce. 

"Shit," murmurs Klaus, breathing in the sweet aroma. Leonard settles into the seat beside him, letting out a small chuckle at his reaction.

"I like to cook," he shrugs. Klaus raises his eyebrows.

"Fuck me, I can tell."

Klaus presses play on the movie, and they dig into their meals, broken only by reaching out to take sips of their wine until Leonard empties the bottle and goes to the second one. He sits close enough that their thighs touch, and Klaus doesn't necessarily mind it. Ben's engrossed in the movie as well, sitting with crossed legs on the opposite armchair. He flickers in and out of existence and Klaus pins it to the wine. Other than their closeness and the occasional affectionate comment from Leonard, he doesn't make any further moods and it ends up setting Klaus on edge. He's not used to normal 'romance' like this, or whatever it might be considered. It's unfamiliar and Klaus doesn't like the unfamiliar, so when they set aside their plates and Leonard drapes an arm around him, Klaus shuffles closer, eyes more on him than the film. Maybe it's his liquid courage or his want for some control and familiarity in this unfamiliar situation, but he leans forwards, peppering kisses along his cheek and neck. 

Leonard utters something that Klaus doesn't quite pick up, but it doesn't matter because he cuts him off anyway by pressing their lips together. There's a moment of hesitation from Leonard before he reciprocates and Klaus smiles victoriously to himself, sliding himself onto the man's lap, hands clasped behind Leonard's neck. Klaus blindly reaches to the side for the remote, turning the volume down on the movie. He hears Ben whine in response though he quickly silences himself when he spots Klaus and Leonard. Klaus suspects he disappears, doing whatever it is Ben does when he's not stalking Klaus.

"What else did you have in mind for tonight?" Purrs Klaus, ducking his head into the crook of his neck. His hands reach up, running through his surprisingly soft hair. Leonard's hands settle on Klaus' hips and Klaus grins. However, when he tries to tug at his shirt and deepen this, Leonard gently pushes him back. He peels his eyes open to look questioningly at Leonard, almost disappointed.

"I'll do whatever you want, Klaus," he says, "but I... I don't want this - _us_ \- to just be about getting drunk and having sex, Klaus. I'm sorry if I lead you on like that. I want to get to know you, Klaus."

Klaus blinks a few times, staring at Leonard as if he had just grown a second head. He isn't sure how to respond. Leonard reaches out, interlocking their fingers together. "If you'll let me, I want to take care of you. And I think you want that, too," he says, and he ducks his head to pepper Klaus' neck with slow, gentle kisses. 

Klaus stares at the opposite wall behind them. Leonard's thumb runs over his knuckles. Something hurts. 

"Yeah," he croaks, "yeah, okay."

Klaus slides off his lap, but Leonard insists on holding him close. Klaus rests his head on Leonard's chest and Leonard draws patterns on his shoulder with the tip of his finger. They go through both the wine and the champagne late into the night, and they don't move past lingering touches and slow kisses. He accompanies him to sit outside once and share a cigarette, which Klaus hadn't realised he'd craved so much.

The movie's stopped now, and neither of them had gotten up to change it. Klaus doesn't really care about that anymore anyway. They ended up talking about random stuff that had somehow ended up diverting to the academy.

"Oh, god no. It was hell. Dear old daddy was horrific. I mean, who  paints a portrait of your missing sibling as a warning? Not an, _oh, here we remember little Number Five_ , but an _oh, this is what happens if you go against me like he did_. And then little innocent Ben... his statue's broken now. He never liked it anyway," Klaus rambles. Leonard's fingers card through his hair, hat forgotten somewhere else on the couch. 

"Did he do that a lot?" asks Leonard. "Punish you, I mean."

Klaus let out a bitter laugh. "Wouldn't be a day in the academy without it!" He declares. "I'm sure he had, like, a list of punishments tailored to each of us. Think it really did a number on us, but imagine going to a therapist and spouting 'hey, I can see the dead and my dad did horrible things to me and my siblings until the day he died' - I'd be sent to some mental hospital _again_!" With a sigh, Klaus closes his eyes and presses himself closer to Leonard.

"You'd think seeing the dead would be cool," he comments, and Klaus snorts.

"Oh, I _hate_ it," he states, "I think God hates me, or something. Everyone else got cool shit like teleportation, or super strength, and I got stuck with the corpses. You would think it's cool. It's really not. Have you got any more alcohol?" 

Leonard chuckles slightly, thumb running over Klaus' warm cheek. "I think you've had enough," he comments.

Klaus scoffs. "Nonsense."

Leonard laughs, but he leans forwards, lips ghosting over Klaus'. His eyes flutter closed and he tips his head up to meet him, heart pounding. Gentle hands cup his face and Klaus leans in, softer than he had earlier. Leonard pulled away after a moment and stood up, pulling Klaus with him. He turned the television off, blew out the candle on the coffee table, and guided him upstairs with an arm around his waist whenever he stumbled. Klaus stepped out of his sundress, leaving it aside, and Leonard stepped out of his clothes save for his underwear. 

"Like classical?" He asks, and Klaus glances up to him. 

"Go for it," he nods, and he crawls into Leonard's bed. Soon after he hears gentle piano and violin music echo in the bedroom. The bed dips as Leonard crawls in and he sits up, reaching for the lamp and Klaus stills.

"Can we - can we keep it on?" He asks, toying with the thick blanket. "I'm not a fan of the dark."

Leonard smiles at him, sliding back down into the bed and away from the lamp. Leonard shuffles forwards and his hand dances out to grace Klaus' cheek and Klaus eagerly turns into the touch, closing his eyes. His hand runs down from his cheek to settle on his hip, fingers drawing circles on his skin. He tugs Klaus closer, to which he doesn't mind, throwing a long leg over Leonard's hips with a laugh. 

"Who knew you were so touchy-feely?" He laughs, and so does Leonard. 

"I can't help myself. You're gorgeous," he states, and Klaus feels his cheeks heat up. 

"Stop that," he jokes, lightly slapping his shoulder. The brunette snickers, reaching his other hand up to cover Klaus'. He still didn't like the situation, waiting for him to suggest they go out, or 'just give it a try' to a new form of pill or syringe, or to be pressed into the bed with hungry hands. It doesn't happen, though, and Klaus almost wishes it would so he could understand the dynamic between them rather than this foreign land he's stepped onto. Leonard's different, and Klaus doesn't know how to go about it. He lets out a long breath, deciding he probably wouldn't ever get used to it, so he lets Leonard hold him close until he falls asleep to the steady beating of his heart.

 

 

 

_His bones ache from the cold and damp and the hours he's spent in it. No matter what he does, though, he never gets warm. His fingers, pale and trembling, scratch up and down his forearms to try and remember how anything feels again, but even the little droplets of blood are cold and frozen. Wind howls outside and reaches him through the cracks in the walls all around him, and the academy uniform does little to help._

_Skeletal faces flash in his vision like lightening, mouths slack as if their jaws are broken, moans and groans escaping their broken and bloody, blue lips. They know his name somehow, although he's sure he's never said it. Maybe Reginald told them who he was._

_Klaus, they cry, oh, Klaus Klaus Klaus Klaus Klaus Klaus Klaus! as if he'll respond if they say it enough. As if he'll bring them back to life after decades of being trapped in the same walls he's trapped in. Klaus wonders if this is where he'll go when he dies._

_A man no more than a skeleton reaches out, fury burning in his eye sockets, and his bones wrap around Klaus' thin throat with such desperation the pressure becomes real and Klaus can't breathe, can't scream, can't beg._   _He leaves bruises behind his skeletal grip that will no doubt make Reginald grin and praise Klaus' progress._   _The back of his hands come back covered in scratches from where he'd protected his eyes - they always go for his eyes, for some reason. Maybe they want to punish him for looking at them, for being able to see them and unable to do anything._

_He can't hear himself breathe. Maybe he's not, or maybe it's because their chorus of agonised wails and screams had begun once more, filled with haunted voices crying Klaus, Klaus, Klaus, Klaus, and it echoes in his ears and in his skulls and in the marrow of his bones. Their sorrowful song peaks as the door unlocks and cracks open, letting in a flicker of light, and then as the door swings open to engulf the mausoleum in early March morning light they all disappear, as if forced away by anything bright. Reginald's shadow extends from one end to the other, towering over Klaus on the floor. He has enough energy to lift himself off the floor and onto his knees to make eye contact with his father who doesn't care, nor try to pretend he does._

_"Are you afraid, Number Four?" He asks. His voice seems to echo louder than the ghosts ever could._

_He is. He's never been more terrified. He shakes his head anyway and hopes he can't see the tears on his face. He knows he can._

_Reginald looks at the scratches on himself, a mess of self-inflicted grounding scratches and deep, rough cuts from invisible hands._

_"Disappointing, Number Four. Three more hours. Get a hold of yourself."_

_The door slams shut and Klaus scrambles to his feet, all but slamming himself against the unforgiving door._

_"Dad! Dad, please!" He cries. His fists hid the door over and over again to no avail. He's never been able to get out of here. In a way, Klaus doesn't think he ever will._

_When corpses hound him once more, Klaus shoves his face into his knees and covers his ears, and he screams until he can't anymore._

 

 

 

He lashes out at the hands on him, scrambling away until the soft surface beneath him gives out and he hits something hard. He wraps his arms around himself, nails digging into his chest. There's light in the room that lets him quickly ground himself, which he's thankful for, and someone's kneeling in front of him.

"Hey, Klaus, you with me?" He asks, voice gentle. Klaus nods shakily, watching as he inches forwards. "Nightmare?" He asks. Klaus screws his eyes shut and nods. Just a nightmare. He's not physically stepped foot in that place for years. It shouldn't bother him as much as it still does.

"Hey, that's alright, just take a deep breath for me, do it with me, Klaus. Can I touch you?" He asks. Klaus peels his eyes open and tips his head, and then Leonard's there by his side, an arm around his shoulder, coaxing his hands away from himself. Leonard whispers soft words against his ear, rocking them slightly, and Klaus hesitates for a moment and then clings onto him. 

"It's alright, it's alright. I've got you. It's alright. You're safe with me."

Klaus believes him. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you liked this part, feel free to leave a kudos or a comment! I appreciate it, and I love hearing your feedback and opinions!


	5. Now All You'll Be Is a Speed Bump

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry to say, updates from here on may be extremely slow/halted until around the 16th. Exams, y'know. But I also never study so who knows, you might get a couple of updates if I write fast after studying. After then, though, you can definitely expect more, fast updates once again.
> 
> Enjoy!

It's only two in the morning apparently, and they stay on the floor for almost twenty minutes until Klaus stops shaking. Leonard urges him to his feet, guiding him back to sit in the bed and draping a blanket over Klaus' shoulders. 

"I'll get you a drink," he says, rubbing his shoulder. Klaus tries to dismiss him, tell him he's fine and he shouldn't bother, but he doesn't listen and disappears downstairs. He can hear the kettle boil and Klaus focuses on the blanket around him, picking at it absentmindedly.

"You alright?"

He looks up, startled slightly, but relaxes at Ben sitting on the edge of the table.

"Nightmare," he mutters disdainfully, running his hands down his face. He's calmed down considerably now, but he's still jumpy and on edge. Ben nods in understanding.

"Want to talk about it?" He offers. Klaus laughs hollowly.

"Nothing out of the usual, dear Ben," he sighs. "Mausoleum, again," he mutters eventually, his eyes flicking around the room. He's too sober, and it's one of the first things he notices. Christ, even a single joint would be better than nothing. He listens to Leonard moving around downstairs. Eventually, he hears footsteps making their way back to the door slowly, and the man reappears holding two mugs. He smiles softly at Klaus, setting one mug on the bedside table and handing the other to Klaus, who accepted it gratefully, hands hugging the warm mug.

"Have you got a bath?" asks Klaus, breathing in the sweet smell from his hot chocolate. 

Leonard raises an eyebrow. "Yeah," he nods, "I can run you one if you'd like?" He offers, and Klaus smiles shakily.

"I do love a good bath," he says lightly. Leonard smiles.

"Just take a moment, I'll run it," he tells him, and he leaves him with a kiss on the cheek. He hears water begin to run, splashing into a porcelain tub down the hall, and Klaus slumps back into the bed, blowing across the surface of his hot chocolate to cool it down before he takes a sip of it. 

"Do you still not like him?" He asks, looking up at Ben who's quietly watching him. Ben tips his head to the side, eyes flicking over to the door. He heaves out a sigh, shoulders slumping. 

"I don't know what to think," Ben admits. "Forgive me if I don't always trust your choice in men."

Klaus lets out a small laugh. "But it always ends up being _exciting_ , doesn't it?" He counters, eyebrows raised. Ben scoffs.

"I would've said _dangerous_ ," he shrugs, and Klaus grins slightly. "I mean, he seems nice, Klaus. He's nice to you. And he's not on meth, so that's a bonus. And he has a house."

Klaus nods his head. "I was getting tired of shitty motels," he jokes, and he takes another slow sip of his hot chocolate. 

"Just stay careful, Klaus," he adds softly, and Klaus' gaze lingers on his brother for a moment.

The door nudges open slightly and Leonard peers in. Klaus sets his hot chocolate on the bedside table, crawling out from under the thick duvet on the bed. He follows Leonard through the dimly lit hallway and into the bathroom, where the tub is still just filling up, covered in a layer of bubbles. He stops the tap and while Klaus kicks off his underwear and steps into the tub, Leonard pulls a box of matches from a drawer and lights a couple of candles on the shelves around the bathroom. 

The water's not too hot, but hot enough to sting his feet and distract him. He slumps into it with a heavy sigh, wrapping his arms around himself.

"You've got bruises," murmurs Leonard, and Klaus turns to glance at him questioningly. He follows his gaze, arching out of the water slightly so he can get a view that's not blocked by bubbles. Sure enough, blooming across his ribs and disappearing around his back. 

"Ah," he breathes, then shrugs, "it's fine."

Leonard's fingers ghost over the bruises gently.

"I'm sorry for waking you up," Klaus mumbles, watching his hand disappear in a mound of bubbles and reappear. 

Leonard scoffs. "Don't apologise," he replies, waving him off. "Do you want to talk about it? I heard you speaking in your sleep but I couldn't wake you up."

Klaus purses his lips. He needs to check his coat. He probably still has some money left and Johnny's probably still out. God, Johnny has the _best_ cocaine. Klaus runs a hand through his hair and lets out a slow breath. Leonard's fingers trace up his side and down his arm until his hand slides into Klaus' and he squeezes his hand softly. 

"You don't have to if you don't want to," he adds. 

Klaus tips his head back with a groan. He'd never actually spoken to anyone other than Ben about the mausoleum. "When I still stuck around with ol' Reggie," he begins, "he had to keep us in line, of course. God forbid we got away with anything. Luther, he wouldn't be allowed on missions, or he'd be stuck without any training, since he was a suck up. Or dad would make him do shit he knew he couldn't, like, he made Luther try and haul a truck down the road when he was ten. It'd be linked with our powers, of course. _Everything_ was about our powers," he hissed disdainfully, glaring at the bubbles in front of him. He took a steadying breath.

"You know, when ghosts stick around for too long, they get less... I dunno, human. They're crazy. Animalistic things and I'm a damn beacon for them. Dad would... there was a... _fuck_ , there's a place near our house. Some fancy, historical graveyard. Think they buried some king there or something. Been there since for decades - I dunno, I never checked. Dad would - there was a mausoleum. He'd lock me in there for hours... once - it's funny, really - once he left me there for the entire weekend! Imagine that! And then - then, everyone else thought I was sick, or just fucked off for a while. Bah, I wish!" He toys with his bottom lip anxiously, voice and laughs hollow. "Oh, the ghosts there _hated_ me. As if I could do anything to help them! They were furious. So angry. They'd just scream for hours, and hours, and hours. I... sorry, I can't." He shakes his head, the hand not in Leonard's grasp covering his face. They flash on the back of his eyelids, pale and rotting, and Klaus needs to be high _right now_. 

"Hey, hey, it's alright. Don't worry about it," he says softly, thumb running over his knuckles. "Take a breath, that's it. Lean forwards," he urges, and Klaus does. His hand disappears momentarily to fetch a bottle and he smells a rush of berries before Leonard's hands massage the soap into his back. He lets out a sigh, leaning his forehead on his clasped hands, shoulders slumping.

"Just relax. I've got you," he murmurs, breath warm on his ear. "You'll never have to deal with that again now."

Klaus leans into his touch, hands gentle when they go over the bruises left over from the intruder's attack. 

"We should go out," he blurts, "it's not too late. There's probably some college party on nearby that we can crash. Or a club. The night's young."

Leonard laughs softly, and his hands clasp together around Klaus' waist. "What do you need, Klaus?" He asks. His lips ghost over his neck tauntingly and Klaus shivers despite the hot water and the fire in his veins. 

"I didn't know you were so..."

"So what? Dashing?"

Klaus laughs, tipping his head back. "That's one word," he grins. 

"I think it might be a little _too_ late to head out now, Klaus. We could keep watching The Hobbit if you don't want to go back to sleep," he offers. Klaus lets out a dramatic sigh.

"So boring," he groans. "Lets do it."

Leonard laughs, heaving himself to his feet. "I'll go bring our hot chocolates down. I'll be back. Take as much time as you need."

Klaus almost tells him not to leave, but he lets him disappear from the bathroom and back to the bedroom to grab their drinks. He hears the stairs creak and Klaus slinks back into the bath, eyes flickering closed.

He hears Ben shuffle over and waits for him to say something. He doesn't, and Klaus doesn't mind. He's still tired and jumpy but he can't even imagine the idea of going back to sleep. 

"Do you think Johnny'll be nearby?" He asks, and he peels his eyes open to look over at his brother. Only, it's not Ben standing there. Klaus jumps half out his skin when he comes face to... bloody mess with the man standing a few feet away from him. Klaus shoots up, hands gripping the rim of the porcelain tub. 

Obviously, it's a ghost. If the blue tinge didn't give it away, his lack of a whole head might have. It's one of the more gruesome and gory ones - probably a bad accident, or a murder - and Klaus flinches away, turning to look at the wall opposite him. It's mostly the top half of his head, just above his eyes. If he didn't see above there, it might be fine. 

His voice gurgles through the blood in his throat as he talks, a repetitive chorus of curses and fury, broken up by the name 'Harold'. Klaus suspects murder, then. 

With shaky hands, Klaus pulls the plug of the bath and stands. He finds a towel and dries himself off, wrapping it around his hips, all the while ignoring the yelling corpses standing in the middle. In the doorway his yelling peaks and Klaus turns around to glare at him. The man meets the glare with one of his own, full of utter resentment. 

_"Bastard boy, you bastard, you rotten fuckin' pathetic piece of shit, I'll kill you, I'll kill you, I'll kill you, you'll wish you're dead when I'm done with you boy, you-"_

He rambles on, seeing Klaus as someone else, and then he runs. It's sudden and takes Klaus by surprise, and even though he knows the ghost can't do anything to him, he still ducks, throwing his hands over his head. Predictably, the man runs right through him, causing no damage more than a cold chill. When Klaus looks up, he's gone. His voice still echoes in the hallway, blind, animalistic fury leaving Klaus shaken. He takes a moment to collect himself before standing up, fixing his towel, and heading downstairs. 

Leonard's on the couch, smoothing out some blankets. The lights are dim; small lamps turned on and candles lit, bright enough to make Klaus comfortable but not enough to hurt his tired eyes. He smiles at Klaus warmly. 

"Feel any better?" He asks, tipping his head to the side. "I re-heated our drinks. We can get some food too, if you're hungry."

Klaus lets out a soft sigh, wandering over and sitting on the soft couch. Leonard slides into the seat, arm easily finding its way around his shoulders. Klaus welcomes the touch from a warm, living person, eyes watching the hypnotising dance of a flickering candle in front of them. 

"How old's this house?" He asks instead, tipping his head back to look at Leonard who raises an eyebrow questioning.

"I'm not too sure, why?"

Klaus shrugs. "Think you got a haunted house, man," he laughs hollowly, "someone died here. Shit, I shouldn't have said that, sorry. Not to scare you or anything, but... uh, yeah..."

Leonard stares silently at him for a moment, though Klaus has closed his eyes again and simply slumps further into the seat and against his side. 

"Really?" Leonard finally says, clearing his throat. Then he laughs. "Well, shit. Guess I better buy a Ouija board, then," he jokes. Klaus huffs a laugh.

"I'm right here," he replies, holding up his hands to wave his 'HELLO' and 'GOODBYE' tattoos. Leonard snickers, resting his head atop Klaus'. Klaus continues.

"I think he was murdered. Kept moaning about some boy called Harold. He didn't seem too happy."

Leonard hums in response, tight grip on Klaus. "Do you see a lot of ghosts?"

He glances up, though can't see Leonard's face from this angle. "Sometimes. When I'm sober, yeah. Unfortunately."

Leonard's hand rubs up and down his bare arm. His fingertips dance over old track marks. "I guess that's why you got into drugs?" 

Klaus laughs. "Yeah! Yeah, that's right. Congratulations; you're the first person to consider that option."

"Really?"

Klaus hums his confirmation. "Yeah. Think my family thought that when I just did weed, but the other stuff, I think they thought that was just fun and games. I dunno. I never tried to explain and they never asked, so who cares. It doesn't matter."

"You'd think they'd be bale to put two and two together," comments Leonard. Klaus stays quiet for a moment. 

"Yeah," he murmurs. He knows his family - minus Ben (and possibly Reginald, he knew Reginald was too smart to not have a pretty damn close guess as to the truth of what it was like) and Ben didn't count, considering he _is_ a ghost - never really understood his powers. They knew he could talk to ghosts, but they didn't know that ghosts weren't peaceful. They knew he could talk to ghosts and yet they hardly ever believed him when he said there was a ghost there. They never had when he had tried to tell them Ben was there. Klaus had long since given up on telling them, and so had Ben.

"They should have at the very least tried to understand why," Leonard presses, and Klaus looks down at his hands, something bubbling between his ribs.

"It doesn't matter much now," he deflects, voice quiet, "it's not their fault."

Leonard shakes his head, and then ducks it to press his lips against Klaus' cheek. "It's not very fair," he states. Klaus doesn't reply. God, of course he knows it isn't, but he's accepted it now. Now, honestly, he isn't sure if he continues to do them because of the ghosts or because he can't stop. He can't blame them.

Klaus follows Leonard's lips making a trail from his cheek to his shoulder. He turns to face Klaus better, one hand resting on one cheek and the other on his knee. Klaus' hands wander, travelling down his shoulders to grip his biceps and he leans back to pull Leonard forwards.

Does it matter? What his siblings think of him? If that's nothing more than Number Four out of the failed Umbrella Academy, or the one that speaks to ghosts, or the junkie, or the disappointment, or their brother or someone they wish wasn't their brother. Does it matter? Not at this moment, anyway. He has Ben and he's all the family he needs, and he has all the corpses in the world and the drugs for when the corpses get too much.

"I care about you," mumbles Leonard against his collar bones. "I've got you, baby. Whatever you need. Let me be what you need."

His siblings can think he's nothing more than a junkie or not. Ben knows better, and Leonard's there nonetheless. When the brunette moves back up his neck, Klaus' hand guides his head forwards from the back of his head and he throws himself into the kiss and Leonard presses him down into the couch with his weight.

 

 

 

Klaus sits on the edge of the kitchen table, a pair of Leonard's sweatpants low on his narrow hips, and watches as he peers into his freezer.

"I don't have any waffles," he reports, closing the freezer door. "Or pancakes. I'm just a mess, aren't I?"

Klaus laughs, leaning forwards. "Eh, we can have whatever. Waffles are just a universal favourite," he shrugs.

"Very true. We could go out, I guess. I've not got much breakfast food in," he offers with a sigh, throwing a disapproving glance back to the fridge as if it's the fridge's fault for not carrying a full-made breakfast.

"That'd be nice, but I have absolutely no money," he says. As Leonard steps over, Klaus spreads his legs so Leonard can stand between them and set his hands on his knees.

"I didn't ask if you have money," he states, eyebrows raised. Klaus blushes lightly, glancing down at his legs. He is hungry, but his hands are beginning to tremble and shake, his body feeling both hot and cold simultaneously, itching for a blissful high from anything, and he'd be willing to forego breakfast to go pawn something from Reginald's office to get enough money in his hands for a dealer. He doesn't particularly want to leave Leonard's side just yet, however.

"I didn't bring another set of clothes," he adds. Leonard looks him up and down.

"You're already in mine," he states, a small smirk on his lips, and Klaus leans back on the table with a dramatic sigh.

"I think you want me to be fat."

Leonard snorts. "Well, either way you're gorgeous, but look," his fingertips dance across his ribs, prominent against his pale skin and the dark bruises, "you're all skin and bones. I doubt a nice breakfast would do any harm."

"Heroin does that to you."

"Really not a valid reason to decline breakfast, but okay."

"Who said I'm declining?" 

"You're deflecting."

"Am not."

"Then come get changed."

"Christ," Klaus groans, lifting himself back up. "Fine, fine, I'll get up."

Leonard grins at him, stepping back. Klaus' heels hook around his legs to keep him from moving. He watches him thoughtfully for a moment before letting his grip go and sliding off the table to follow him upstairs. He steps into the bedroom and cringes, tilting his head down. There's a roar of unbridled rage and the ghost dripping blood over the bedroom floor begins his incoherent screaming. 

"You alright?" asks Leonard, hand on his shoulder. He steps in front of him and Klaus is glad for the block in his view. He rubs the bridge of his nose with a sigh.

"Ghost's still around," he simply murmurs. Leonard looks at him for a moment, and then he smiles.

"We better change quickly then," he says, thumb rubbing his cheek. Klaus nods his head in agreement. He sits on the edge of the bed, watching as Leonard looks through his wardrobe, oblivious to the bloody man in his bedroom screaming  _Harold, Harold, Harold._ Klaus hisses - no one can hear him (other than himself) and he can't and wouldn't if he could help him anyway, there's no _point_ in screaming - and one hand clamps over one of his ears, the other twitching over his stomach. 

Thankfully, however, Leonard is quick. He finds an old pair of skinny jeans that he outgrew and Klaus perks up long enough to point at an ancient, horrific Hawaiian shirt in the back of the wardrobe, and he shoves both items on. He excuses himself while Leonard changes simply to get away from the ghost, heading downstairs to find his boots, hat and coat.

"You could have told me you were going to do that," utters Ben from the arm chair he's claimed. He still looks traumatized. 

"Oh, come on, it's not like I _planned_ it. Plus! You should know _better_ than to barge in when I'm with someone in the middle of the nights," Klaus accuses, jabbing a finger in Ben's direction.

Klaus peers up from his book to glare at Klaus. "Seeing your brother getting railed on a couch will never become easier to see," Ben says dryly. Klaus falls silent for a moment, cheeks hot, before a sly smile appears on his face.

"I think I scared him more," he mutters with a snicker and Ben can't help but smile and laugh too, Klaus' scream from suddenly seeing his brother appear a few feet away still echoing. Leonard hadn't been sure whether that was a _good_ or a _bad_ scream, and Klaus wasn't about to tell him the truth. 

The two sit there for a moment, giggling, until eventually Leonard comes down and Klaus turns to cough, composing himself. 

"Ready? I know a little café that does some really nice breakfasts and lunches just down town. It's a nice walk through the park, too," he offers, holding out his hand. Klaus bounds over, sliding his hand into Leonard's, fingers. 

"Lead the way," Klaus grins, following Leonard outside. He takes a moment to lock the door and they walk outside, the chill of the morning air refreshing. Ben tags along, wandering around them. The streets aren't busy and the ghost seems stuck to the house which Klaus does not mind at all. If he ignores the beginnings of withdrawals coursing through his body, it'd be nice. 

"What do you do?" He asks, turning to look at Leonard who raises an eyebrow. 

"What do you mean?"

"Work wise. You studying? Trying to become famous? A super villain - 'cause that's hot."

Leonard barks a laugh, hand squeezing Klaus'. "I own a woodworking shop," he says, "that's my cover story for the super villain thing."

Klaus snickers, nudging his side. "I fuckin' knew it," he gasps dramatically. Leonard flashes a grin at him and winks.

The walk is nice. Leonard guides him through a park in which a couple with a stroller walk past and someone jogs past with their dog running excitedly beside them. There's only a few clouds in the sky and a small, refreshing breeze ruffles his hair, and Leonard doesn't complain when Klaus stops to point out a mother duck waddling nearby with a line of ducklings.

"They're just so fucking adorable," Klaus gushes. Leonard chuckles, pulling him close by an arm around his waist. 

"They are," he agrees with a hum. His thumb rubs his stomach affectionately and Klaus leans into the touch without hesitation. He's always been touchy - probably the most out of the family. When words failed him he turned to touch; hugs, hand holding, forehead kisses, hair playing. When he wasn't sure who was alive or who was a ghost, he could reach out and brush his hand over someone and know he'd be safe with them. And now, he enjoyed the reciprocation of his affections, and not in a way that he was used to. It was nice.

"Will I get to see your little woodwork shop?" He asks. Leonard smiles.

"If you want to," he nods. Klaus nods enthusiastically, beaming.

"I'd love to."

They continue through the park and back onto the streets, walking until they come upon the little café. Leonard holds the door open to let Klaus step inside. 

It's not busy. There's a few people sitting in there, mostly people ready to grab breakfast and then head off to work, and a teenage couple sitting in the corner. There's a sweet aroma of freshly baked pastries and coffee in the room and they find a seat in the corner by the window, fairy lights hanging on the wall behind them. Leonard sits opposite him, leaning to the side so they can both peer at the little menu on the table. Klaus doesn't need to look for long.

"They have waffles," he states, and leans back in the booth chair. Ben's sitting next to him, looking around the place and reading the posters, though his lips twitch upwards at the mention of waffles. 

"Better than me already," jokes Leonard. "I guess I'll have some too. Coffee?"

"Ugh, too bitter. I'll have a hot chocolate. Please."

Leonard smiles and sets the menu to the side and stands up. "No problem. I'll order it, give me a sec."

Klaus gives him a smile and watches him head towards the bar, greeting the bartender as if they're familiar. Klaus shoves the jealousy down.

"How are you feeling?" Ben asks, glancing back from another poster.

"Sober as fuck," whispers Klaus bitterly, but he lightens it with a wide grin. He's certainly not clean enough for all the ghosts to start showing up yet. Soon, though. He doesn't want to see them. The thought makes his heart race irrationally. 

"Good," retorts Ben, and Klaus glares at him. 

"Shut up."

"Love you too, bro."

"Kiss my ass."

"Not after last night."

"Is that jealousy I hear?"

"Oh, _absolutely_. You know I'm just _utterly infatuated_ with you."

"I know," hums Klaus with a sickly sweet grin at him. "Have you seen the others? You never actually tell me where you disappear to."

Ben shrugs. "Not last night. And I can't really go far. I just went out for a wander, last night. There was a cat."

"You didn't wake me?"

"I literally can't."

"That's a coward's excuse."

Ben snorts, but Klaus falls quiet as Leonard returns with a tray piled with two cups of hot chocolates with cream and two plates of waffles that Ben stares longingly at.

"This was so worth it," Klaus moans after his first bite. He slumps back into the seat. Leonard's foot brushes Klaus'.

"I think you're just with me for the food," he states. Klaus grins, raising his hands. 

"You caught me," he says, fork dangling loosely between his fingers. 

Leonard laughs, nose wrinkling, and then he goes back to his food. Klaus sets his chin on his hand, stabbing at his waffles and taking another bite. Klaus decides he would readily give his life for them, and he washes it all down with his hot chocolate. Ben says that the statue they put up next to the ruins of Ben's will have his cause of death as diabetes. He also says he'll laugh at his funeral and Klaus gives him a look to politely say that, fuck off, because Klaus will be there as a ghost laughing as well. 

Leonard pays, leaving a generous tip (Klaus approves of that) and they head outside. Somehow, they end up back in the park. The ducks aren't there anymore, but it's fine. He and Leonard settle on a bench and Klaus watches a dog run past in hot pursuit of a ball. He rambles about dogs, then - he'd always wanted one (all of them except for Luther had) but Reginald had never let them get as much as a single goldfish. Hell, Reginald never let them do anything. They only had half an hour on Sunday mornings as free time throughout the entire week, none of them would have been able to care for a pet. He hadn't let them celebrate holidays, either. He's half way through rambling about the dog he wants when he looks over, catching Leonard still watching him, listening to every word he spits out, eyes soft, lips pointed upwards. His cheeks burn hot and he stammers, looking away, all of a sudden embarrassed. 

Leonard's fingers tip his chin back up to look at him and he doesn't say anything before leaning in to kiss him. 

(Ben makes an obnoxious gagging sound behind him.)

When Leonard pulls back his thumb brushes his cheekbone. "Keep talking," he urges.

Klaus does. He does, and he decides that he likes this. He could get used to this. He feels good like this. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you enjoyed, feel free to leave a kudos or a comment! I love hearing your feedback and I appreciate it all.  
> Also, it'll probably stray from canon more now. Going over it after the kidnapping it gets kicked off by Allison finding out about Leonard, Klaus destroying the briefcase/Hazel+Cha-Cha trying to get it back/Vanya going off her meds and going mental. Obviously, though, circumstances are different, so it'll stray a bit.  
> Nonetheless, I hope you enjoyed this part!


	6. The Family Won't Like This

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Whopper of a chapter, enjoy!  
> Ignore how I said I have exams to study for lmao

"Here it is!"

Klaus steps into the shop, looking around the place. There's aisles and shelves of expertly hand-crafted decorations, furniture, statues. There's a strong scent of oils and fresh wood and it stings his nose, but it's fresh and he doesn't mind it. 

"You make all of this?" He asks in disbelief, turning to look at Leonard over his shoulder. The place is absolutely full of crafted decorations and Klaus can't imagine how long it would take him to create one of these, least of all this many.

"Aha, yeah, yeah. Most of them, anyway; I offer some classes to teach people, so some of it belongs to them, but most of it's mine," confirms Leonard, walking forwards with a hand on his back. Klaus blows out a long breath.

"Damn. Alright, yeah. Fucking awesome," he laughs, reaching out a finger to trace the intricate details of a birdhouse on a shelf nearby. The wood's smooth under his touch, no rough edges whatsoever, perfectly symmetrical and beautiful. "I think I'd somehow end up killing myself if I tried to make something like this."

Leonard snorts. "I can teach you, it's really not that hard. It just takes practice. The first thing I made was quite horrific," he hums. He wraps his arms around Klaus from behind, looking over his shoulder to look at the same birdhouse Klaus had been inspecting.

"I don't think I trust myself with a saw," laughs Klaus, tipping his head back against his shoulder. 

"Character progress, you know. You could be good at it," he shrugs. Klaus hums thoughtfully, continuing to step through the shop and inspect other objects. There's things that could fit comfortable in the palm of his hand, tiny little ornaments with precise details, and yet there's also things the size of his head and bigger; birdhouses, rocking chairs, bar stools, the like. Some of them are painted, some aren't, but all of them are smooth and pleasant to the touch, sturdy, intricate, and beautiful. 

"What's your favourite piece?" Klaus asks, turning to face him and tilting his head to the side. Leonard raises an eyebrow, eyes roaming around the shop. 

"I... don't know," he admits, pursing his lips, "I like making furniture. I'm in the middle of making one of those grandfather clocks for a client, which I'm really enjoying."

Klaus perks up, nodding. "Is it here? Can I see it?"

Leonard's eyes flick to the side and he nods. "Sure," he eventually says, and he guides him to the back of the room and through a door that leads them into a cold room. There's large equipment and shelves full of tools and a couple of tables with vices on them. There's a couple of half-made objects around the room, but the most notable is the towering block of wood in the back. Leonard picks up a duster from the side before walking over, using it to dust off some wood chips and sawdust from it.

"I worked on it a bit yesterday but I've still got quite a bit to do for it," he states, looking at his handiwork with his hands on his hips. Klaus glances at him, skipping over and peering at it.

"It looks great," he compliments. "How long should it take to finish?"

Leonard shrugs. "A while still. Luckily the client doesn't need it soon, so I've enough time. I usually come here when I can't sleep and I just get work done. I find it relaxing."

Klaus bobs his head in a nod. He had no idea how things like that got made and it was rather impressive to actually imagine someone putting so much effort into a project and being able to create something magnificent. When he was young he had been interested in art, often sketching on his walls or on whatever scrap paper he could get his hands on, though he hadn't drawn in years now. Addiction would do that to you. However, he could remember he had enjoyed it - the process of making something and taking pride in it. 

"You've got some real beautiful things out here," Klaus comments, and he turns back around. His nose itches from the sawdust around the room and he repeats the word _pineapple_ , _pineapple_ , _pineapple_ to try and dissuade himself from sneezing. Surprisingly, it works. 

"I enjoy my work," he replies with a smile. "Come on, I think I might have something you might like." He reaches out for Klaus, guiding him out of the workroom and back into the shop. Klaus walks ahead obediently, fingers twitching, drumming over his hips. 

"What's your favourite animal?" Leonard asks, thumb rubbing his arm. Klaus lets out a heavy breath, looking around as if the walls would hold the answers. 

"You can't just ask me that heavy a question, Leonard!" He exclaims, pursing his lips. "God, oh... parrots are cool. Raccoons are, too. Sloths... turtles, lizards. Lizards regrow their tails and shit, I think, so maybe them because they're basically invincible."

Leonard chuckles at him, squeezing his arm before disappearing, wandering between the aisles. Klaus stays in the same spot, watching his back. Occasionally he'll pick something up and turn it around in his hands, though he always ends up shaking his head and putting it down. He disappears behind a rocking chair and around another aisle, shoes tapping quietly on the floor. He picks something up, inspects it, and sets it down. Looks somewhere else and does the same. 

"Do you have to be back home at any time?" Leonard asks, voice carrying over to Klaus who hums thoughtfully. He doesn't think he has to be back at the academy at any time, though morally he should be inclined to want to check his siblings after the incident of yesterday. 

"Uh, I have no idea. I probably should at some time considering yesterday, but I'm a big boy now so I can make my own decisions," Klaus laughs. He wanders to the side, fingertips running over the edge of a wolf sculpture. Leonard laughs at that too, glancing over at him. 

"I was thinking we could go out. There's supposed to be a small band playing at a club nearby."

"What club?" 

"That PJ's place," Leonard says, "it's closer to the centre."

Klaus nods his head in recognition, lips twitching upwards. "I'm down, sure."

Leonard picks something up and smiles, and then heads over to Klaus once more. His free hand runs down Klaus' arm. 

"Great. We could head back to mine after here, if you want."

Klaus purses his lip. He feels Leonard slip whatever he had picked up into his pocket, but when Klaus goes to pull it out of his pocket he stops him. "Later," he says, and Klaus nods.

"God, I don't know... I want to, of course, I want to, but I feel like I should probably make sure no ones actually hurt. I mean, it's not just any day two masked psychos shoot up your house. Plus, I think they were looking for my other brother..."

"Have they checked in with you?" Leonard asks, staring intently at him. The question startles Klaus and he raises his eyebrows.

"What do you mean?" He asks with a small laugh.

"You were there too. You got hurt too. And you went out the same night. Have they checked in with you to make sure you're alright?"

Klaus' eyebrows knit together and he glances to the side. "Well, no, but they saw I was alright -"

"You're lucky to not have broken ribs, Klaus," Leonard says, concern lacing his words. His hands drift over Klaus' ribs hesitantly, reaching around his back and running down his spine. With time the bruises had only gotten darker - he had always bruised easily anyway - and simply leaning back against a shelf hurt. 

"I always disappear," Klaus dismisses, waving a hand. He goes to step back but Leonard's fingers hook into the belt loops of his jeans and pulling him close. He tips his head to the side, eying Klaus.

"After a shootout from two people looking to, what, kidnap one of my siblings, I'd want to keep a close eye on all of them," Leonard states. Then he sighs, disapprovingly shaking his head. "I'm sorry, Klaus. But you're seriously lucky to only have some bruises from that. And it just makes me angry that they've not checked in on you after you got hurt. I care about you, Klaus." His hands fall from Klaus and he steps away, but Klaus reaches out to take his hand and pull him back.

"Babe I know, I understand... I'll need to get changed anyway for tonight." He wraps his arms around Leonard's neck, ducking his head to make eye contact with Leonard. He almost looks upset. The brunette reaches out to cup Klaus' face between his hands, thumb rubbing over his cheeks. 

"I just care about you," he murmurs. Klaus' stomach twists and his cheeks blush dusty pink. He closes his eyes and feels Leonard's breath ghost over his lips and he tips his head forwards to meet him in a gentle kiss. Leonard presses him closer against his chest, chin resting on top of Klaus' head.

"Take care of yourself," he says, and Klaus subtly nods his head. 

 

 

 

"Give me your hand," requests Leonard. They're outside now, walking in the direction of the academy. Klaus looks at their hands, already clasped together, and raises an eyebrow. Leonard snickers slightly, lifting their hands so he can see the back of Klaus'. His other hand dips into his jacket pocket and he pulls the lid off a pen he had plucked from his woodworking shop, using it to scribble out a number across his skin. 

"Phone me whenever you want," he says, looking at the numbers. "I'll answer."

Klaus' lips twitch upwards and he nods his head. "I will," he agrees, squeezing Leonard's hand.

"I'll meet you at seven?" Klaus glances up at Leonard and hums, bobbing his head. He catches a glance at the watch on Leonard's wrist that reads one.

"All good with me," he says. He can see the academy further down the street, the familiar towering building and gate that had kept him locked in there for his childhood. He can't help but groan at the sight of it. 

"Sounds like you love the place," snorts Leonard, and Klaus scoffs.

"Oh, yeah," he drawls, tipping his head back, "nothing makes me happier than the sight of home sweet home."  

He turns to face Leonard then, placing his hands on Leonard's shoulders. "Thank you," he says softly. "I, uh, I've had a good time with you."

Leonard smiles at him, hands on Klaus' hips, and he pulls him closer. "So have I." His fingertips dance along his jaw before coaxing Klaus closer in a kiss that leaves him breathless. He flashes him a smile. "Dress nice. I'll see you tonight." His hand lingers on his hips before he steps back. He gives Klaus a final wink before turning on the street, and Klaus watches him walk away before he turns back around and heads up to the academy.

The house is eerily quiet. The leftover bullet holes don't make it any better. He looks around but the only sibling he can see or hear is Ben, who had made a reappearance by his side.

"Is everyone just gone?" He mutters, raising an eyebrow at Ben. "Well, good thing I thought to check in on them."

With a sigh, Klaus makes his way into the living room and heading straight for the bar. His eyes roamed over each bottle of expensive liquor before snatching up a bottle of vodka, twisting off the cap and flicking it aside to take a long, burning swig of it. Ben stares disappointedly at him and Klaus grins at his beloved brother. He hears the tap, tap, tap of a familiar cane and he has a moment to hide the bottle of alcohol underneath the bar before Pogo walks in. Klaus is glad to see him, though. At least he's not hurt.

"Master Klaus," he greets, not surprised to see him leaning on the bar. Klaus waves with two fingers, flashing a smile.

"What's up, Pogo?" He replies. "Where is everyone?"

"I believe Allison is with Vanya at the moment. Luther and Diego just left to find Five," he informs. He looks Klaus up and down, not so subtly trying to decipher whether or not he's high.

"Five's still missing? Oh, not too good, then. Did they say where they were going?"

Pogo sighs and shakes his head. Klaus glances to Ben who simply raises his eyebrows.

"You gonna go after them?" Ben asks and Klaus shrugs.

"Well, thank you very much Pogo," drawls Klaus, walking around the bar. "Glad to see you didn't get hurt."

"You're in a good mood today, Master Klaus."

Klaus hesitates in the doorway and smiles. "I am."

He heads up to his bedroom, Ben following after him. 

"You probably should go follow Luther and Diego," he says. "Those freaks were looking for him. He might be hurt."

_Have they even checked in with you?_

Klaus presses his lips together, cringing at the memory. He closes his bedroom door, taking advantage of none of his siblings being there to barge in, and he slumps onto his bed. "Five's probably fine," he states. "He can do his little _zap_ _zap_ , teleport thing." 

Ben gives him a look. "One of them almost took out Luther," he deadpans. 

"I'd only get in the way. Look at this!" He holds out a hand, both he and Ben watching his hand tremble uncontrollably. "I need rest, or whatever." 

Ben snorts, leaning back against the wall with his arms crossed over his chest. He watches Klaus drink straight from the bottle of vodka with a frown and Klaus stands up, makes a show of throwing off Leonard's borrowed clothes and then crawling into his bed.

" _Goodnight_ ," he says pointedly, back turned to Ben. One of his hands reach out for one of the stuffed animals on his bed and Ben steps forwards.

"Don't you dare, Klaus," he says, though it's a half hearted plead. Klaus' fingers run over the stuffed animal until he found a small tear in it. Eagerly he dug into it, pushing through its stuffing until he felt plastic and he pulls out a small plastic bag. Klaus sits up in bed with a victorious grin, opening the little bag despite Ben's disapproving comments (he'd long since given up on shouting at him) only to see one single pill left. Only one. He tips it out onto the palm of his hand and rolls it up to his fingertips and then holds it up to his eyes. 

"Fucker," Klaus hisses. He had no money to go buy more at the moment and he had wanted to pop one before heading out to see Leonard, just to kick the party up a notch or two. Now he could either miss out on it now, or he could not have it tonight. Klaus glares at the little thing in his grasp as if it had spat on him.

"Just put it down, Klaus. Please," Ben requests, and purely out of spite Klaus almost swallows it then and there. Almost. Instead, he places it on his bedside table with a dramatic groan.

"Fuck! Fuck Tim for putting his prices up!" He snaps, and then he reaches for the bottle of vodka instead. It'll have to do. 

"I'm proud of you," offers Ben and Klaus sneers nastily.

"You won't be in six hours," he snorts. With a sigh, Klaus reaches for his music player and earphones, still on his bed, and he turns the music up to near full volume and holds the vodka with shaking hands.

He isn't sure how much time passes, but when he stands up he stumbles and it catches him off guard. He spits a curse, catching himself on his bedside table. He throws a glance over his shoulder. "What time is it?" He asks a fuzzy picture of Ben. He makes his way to his wardrobe, swinging the doors open and looking at the clothes hanging up. He pulls out multiple different items of clothing, lips pursed in thought. He already feels hot and the club would only be hotter inside, but his old faithful leather pants always made his legs look great. He sets (throws) them on the bed and then reaches for a shirt, going for a simple, black sheer crop top which he pulls on and then reaches for his pants. He got one leg in, though when he tries to push his other leg through he stood on the end of the pant leg and he lost his already-poor balance, tumbling to the ground.

Klaus groans, room spinning around him, and he takes several moments to gather himself, using the bed beside him to sit up. 

"You drank way too much," mutters Ben, appearing just in front of him. Klaus waves a hand dismissively, hauling himself onto his feet and finally finishes pulling his pants up. "It's almost four now. You should try and get some sleep, Klaus. On your side, remember."

"I need eyeliner," he mumbles instead, looking around the place. He isn't sure where his is so he heads out of his room, heading to Allison's. He's surprised to hear voices in there.

"Allison?" Klaus calls, tapping his knuckles against the door. There's a shuffle and the door opens, Allison greeting him. He can see Vanya sitting on her bed behind her. _That's nice_ , he thinks, _that they're talking again and getting closer_.

"Are you alright Klaus?" She asks gently, reaching out to steady him with a hand on his shoulder.

"I, uh, I need eyeliner," he repeats. "I don't know where mine is."

Allison smiles sadly at him but nods. "I'll do it for you."

"You will?" He asks, lips twitching up. "Always knew you were a great sister." He follows her inside her bedroom, sitting on the floor beside the window. "Hey, Vanya," he greets with a wave. The brunette returns the wave and smiles.

"What're you all dressed up for?" asks Allison, browsing through a small makeup bag until she pulls out an eyeliner pencil - brand new, plastic wrapping still on. She peels it off and throws it aside before crouching in front of him.

"I've got a date again tonight," he murmurs. He peels his eyes open, startling slightly when he realises they had closed in the first place. He runs a hand down his face, the other hand steadying him despite the fact he was sitting down. Maybe he had drank just a _little_ too much.

"A date?" Allison repeats, eyebrows raising. " _Another_ date, too. Spill," she grins, and Klaus slumps. One of her hands holds his chin, the other inspecting the smudged remnants of some eyeshadow from god knows when still around his eyes.

Klaus' cheeks flush slightly. Even Vanya's leaning in, too. It's nice, though. He and Allison had been somewhat close as children - he'd get her to paint his nails and he'd steal from her wardrobe. He remembered hugging her after she'd just gotten her tattoo done when they were eight, just after him, and trying to comfort her. Vanya, he had never been close to. He felt bad for that now. 

"I met him a few days ago," he says, then laughs, "wow, that sounds bad. We've moved fast," he chuckles, eyes slipping closed again before he pries them open stubbornly. "His name's Leonard. He owns some woodwork shop - he gave me something, shit, I forgot. Uh, my drink got spiked at a club we went to and he helped me - that was nice. No one's done that before. Uh, he made me breakfast and everything. I slept over at his last night - he's got a proper house, not just a shitty motel room - and... uh... I... yeah. We're going out again later tonight. Some band's playing at a club and we're gonna go see them. But I don't know where my eyeliner is." He juts out his bottom lip in a pout, looking between his sisters.

"He sounds nice," Allison comments, and Klaus nods his head before holding still when the eyeliner pencil neared his eyes. He knows what she's thinking, too. A steady, normal job, a house, making breakfast, helping him when he's spiked - a normal person that might rub off on Klaus. 

"He is," Klaus agrees. "He is. I'm gonna meet him at seven. Oh my god, Vanya, can I paint your nails?" He suddenly asks, peering over at his sister. Allison's fingers keep his eyes open as she gently lines his eyes with the eyeliner. 

"Oh, keep it dark, please. I know you're all glam and stuff, sis - you look amazing by the way - but don't be afraid to smudge this out a bit. It's my signature look."

Allison snickers but nods, and Vanya smiles softly.

"Sure," she agrees. "Can I pick the colour?"

"Of course, they're your nails," laughs Klaus. Allison moves on to his next eye. 

"Can I put fake eyelashes on you?" She asks suddenly, and Klaus pulls back to look at her.

" _Please_ do," he gasps, grinning. "Have you got eyeshadow? Purple eyeshadow? Can I borrow some?"

Allison laughs, finishing off his eyeliner and nodding. "Sure, sure. Give me a sec."

She stands up and so does Klaus. Almost immediately he trips over his own feet, tumbling to his knees, narrowly missing the bed. He groans, catching himself on his hands. 

"Fuck," he moans. Vanya reaches out to rub his shoulder then hesitates.

"What are those bruises, Klaus?" She asks, and Allison looks over at that.

"Shit, Klaus, are you okay?"

Klaus waves a hand dismissively. "They're from those psychos that shot us up. You know I bruise easily, I'm fragile," he pouts, turning to look at the bruises. "Ugh, they're not pretty. I need to change shirts," he whines, dropping his face into his hands. _Fuck_ , he drank too much. 

"How much have you had to drink?" asks Allison quietly, her eyeshadow palette forgotten in her hands.

"I... honestly have no idea," he laughs, then points at the palette. "Let's keep going! I need to look good," he urges.

"You still have a few hours," she comments, but she does pick up a clean brush and open the palette. She holds it up and Klaus points at a dark purple. "His number?" She questions, looking at the number on his hand. 

"Oh, yeah, yeah. I need to write it down somewhere," he mutters, pursing his lips. "Can you write it down? I'm - I'm fucked, honestly," he laughs, resting his chin in his hand. He closes his eyes as Allison approaches him with the brush, gently spreading out the purple eyeshadow around and doing the same to the other eye. 

"Sure, Klaus," Allison nods to Vanya, who scurries to grab a sticky note from Allison's table and then jots it down.

"I'm gonna put the fake eyelashes on now, alright?" She says, shuffling off to the side. Klaus bobs his head in a nod, keeping his eyes closed and following her instructions as she applies them. 

"Are they gonna stay on all night?" He asks, blinking. It feels... weird. 

"I've got pretty good glue, so maybe. I'll give you the tube if you want so you can try and reapply them, but you can just chuck them away if they fall off," she shrugs. Klaus nods his head, taking the small tube of glue. He doesn't have pockets though. 

"Have you got a mirror? There's one right there, of course you do," he says, using the bed beside him to haul himself to his feet. He staggers over, pretending not to notice the little glint of something - sadness? Worry? Concern? Disappointment? - in Allison and Vanya's shared glance. He crouches in front of the mirror, turning his head left and right. He looks... amazing.

"I need to get me some of these," Klaus says, fluttering his long eyelashes. "I look so good."

"Leonard better like that," Allison comments jokingly. Klaus laughs.

"I think he will - I hope so," he agrees with a laugh, and then he turns to Vanya, jabbing a finger in her face. "Now, give me your nails."

She picks a lovely lilac colour and Klaus tries his best to keep them neat, he really does, but his hands are still shaking and a lot goes around her fingers.

"Are you sober?" Allison asks at one point, and Klaus laughs.

"Allison, sis, my friend, I literally cannot fucking stand at the moment," he snorts. "I think I might pass out."

"Like, drug wise?" She clarifies, and Klaus glares at his clammy skin and shaking hands.

"Unfortunately," he groans, "I've not got any money so I can't buy anything else. It's hell."

"I'm - no, that's good, Klaus," Vanya says softly, and Klaus looks up from the little brush in his grip. 

"Yeah," he simply murmurs.

"Are you going to Leonard's after the party? I think there might be a family meeting - Luther and Diego are looking for Five, so if they find him then we'll probably have to discuss those two people that came here," she says, and Klaus shrugs.

"We didn't really talk about it," he admits. "I usually just go with the flow, you know?"

"You could invite him over," Vanya offers. "At least then you'll be here if anything happens? Just a - just a thought."

Klaus turns the idea over in his head. "Maybe. You still have my number, right? Just message me if Luther's gonna kill me for not showing up," he requests after Allison nods. He only has some small, cheap phone he'd had for years and he'd hardly ever used it. He could probably count the times he'd used it on one hand. He'd probably have to dig it out of the depths of his wardrobe first.

"I should go find it," he mutters. He closes the nail polish and sets it aside, hauling himself up to his feet. He's half way out the door when Allison snags his wrist.

"Be safe, Klaus," she says quietly. "Maybe you should sit down for a while, or go get some air."

Klaus squeezes her arm softly. "Don't you worry about me. I'll, uh, I'll give you a text if I wont show up for the possible family meeting. Make up an excuse for me, will you?" He asks, flashing a suave grin at his sisters before staggering back to his bedroom where he begins to search for his phone until he finds it. It turns on, not yet dead (somehow) and he puts it in his coat pocket after pulling on his long brown coat. He snatches the little pill from his bedside table and places a kiss on its surface and carefully tucks it into his pocket, and then he grabs his music. He eyes the vodka bottle and, despite knowing he can't walk straight, takes a couple of swigs from it for good luck before placing it back onto his bed and heading out of his rooms. He can't see Ben anymore, whether that's due to the alcohol or he simply decided to go for a wander again, he isn't sure.

He heads to the stairs and stands at the top, watching the ground sway beneath him. He heaves a determined sigh and clings onto the bannister for dear life, and somehow manages to make it down with only a few trips but no falls. 

He heads out the door and onto the streets, putting in his earphones and turning on his music. He wraps his arms around himself, wandering aimlessly down the street. The chill in the air makes him feel a little better, fighting the burning heat pulsing through his body. He looks at Leonard's number on the back of his hand, debating whether or not to text him. Would that seem clingy? It'd only been a few hours and other than Ben he had been the only person he'd properly spoken to. 

He just needs to sober up, he decides. He'd gotten carried away with his drinking. He taps his cheeks as if it'll help him. 

He wanders through the street, cutting across the road a couple of times. There was a park nearby the academy that his feet took him to while Britney Spears echoed in his ears and his fingers drummed on his arms. He looked forwards to tonight. He wanted to see Leonard again and in a place he was familiar with. Plus, the little pill in his pocket weighed heavier than it actually did, keeping him extremely aware of its presence. If he was lucky then there would be people there with other kinds of things - the last band he'd gotten close to there had done cocaine with him, and the vast majority of the people there smoked weed. He'd be able to get something if he wanted.

With that idea in mind, Klaus lingers in the park for a while, watching the people out with their dogs and the teenagers messing about. At some point he began to feel like he was being watched, a sinking feeling in his gut, and he knew better than to ignore his gut. He left the park then, one earphone out, and thought about the quickest way to get back to the academy. He cut through the park and cursed the alcohol when he staggered. He felt like he was walking fast, fast enough to shake someone on his trail, but with the amount of times he paused to gather himself and the amount of times he stumbled, he knew that wasn't the case. Ben had made an appearance once more, sensing his anxiety, and he followed by Klaus' side as he staggered down a back alleyway. It lead right to the back of the academy - his siblings and he had ran out many nights years ago behind their father's back, and they'd climb down the fire escape and run off to Griddy's for some donuts or something. Klaus had no idea how he was going to make his way up the fire escape now, though.

He stood below it, staring up at the bars with distaste, when Ben waved a hand in his face.

" _Klaus_!" He hisses, eyes wide, " _run_!"

Eyebrows drawing together Klaus turns to look over his shoulder, taking out the other earphone. He almost wishes he hadn't. 

A familiar pink mask stared at him. Klaus jumps half out his skin and whips around, too eager to follow Ben's advice, only to slam right into the muscular body of the man with the blue mask. He opens his mouth to scream - he hadn't been out too long, Allison and Vanya would hear him - but Blue's hand tightens in his hair and slams his head into the wall beneath the fire escape. Darkness rushes to meet him despite his best efforts.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oooooh, shit, what's gonna happen then?  
> I actually wrote half this chapter then got slapped by this idea so - here we are! I hope you enjoyed this part!  
> If you did, feel free to leave a kudos or a comment, I appreciate it all!
> 
> Also, I have debated a LOT on doing a chapter from Leonard’s point of view. Would that be something you’re interested in? I would be willing to write it if people really want to, but the only reason I’m refraining is that it would immediately ruin the innocence of it all. We only truly know what Klaus knows - of course we know Leonard isn’t really a good idea, but we don’t know what he’s thinking or planning. We see the same thing Klaus sees, and I’m not sure I want to ruin it. Y’all are experiencing what Klaus is really. 
> 
> HOWEVER, I would love to write a chapter from his POV. It’d be drastically different and then y’all wouldn’t be left in the dark, but any future, innocent parts between Klaus and Leonard wouldn’t be the same. It’s tricky. Please let me know your thoughts on that in the comments! Would you like that or prefer to stick with Klaus and see it as he sees it? Or would you like it later into the fic after it’s been more revealed who he is?


	7. They'll Bust Your Kneecaps

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I swear Klaus wasn't gonna get kidnapped. I wrote this and was like 'oh that's neat he won't end up getting kidnapped good for him' but then, in the darkness of my bedroom at 1am, something within me said 'what if he does tho' and here we are. Changed the entire last chapter bc of that idea and we're rolling.  
> Anywho, uh. Enjoy. Warnings for torture and violence, etcetera.  
> This chapter ended up being much longer than I expected, but I didn't want to split it up into two chapters 'caus eh. The second one would've been too short.

His head pounds like a shrill alarm.

The _thumpthumpthump_ of his racing heart echoing in his empty, heavy bones aches, and he cringes away from it. Only one cannot cringe away from their own skeleton, so he isn't very successful, and the slight movement has nausea rising to greet him in waves.

Finally, Klaus peels his eyelids open, one at a time. There's dim light illuminating the room, coming from the lamps in the corner. It's enough to show his surroundings and he immediately knows he's in some shitty motel. From the lack of light coming from under the curtains it's still night, and the darkness of the motel room keeps it inconspicuous. Of course, they'd want that, because he's been kidnapped.

That seems to jolt his consciousness back to the presence and kickstart everything. Everything had felt sluggish and slow, as if he'd been underwater, and now his heart is racing too fast and his lungs working too much, his blood rushing like a roller coaster, and he can't move. His ankles and his wrists are tied down with duct tape tight enough to almost cut off his circulation and when he tries to breathe through his mouth, duct tape blocks that too.

"Good, you're awake."

Klaus startles, turning to watch as Pink wanders over. There's a gun in her hand. Blue's leaning against the wall behind her, arms folded across his chest. His jacket and shirt had been taken off him (his shirt torn off with a knife, because apparently they'd been too lazy to simply take it off him and fold it) and he can see them in a pile on the floor by the foot of one of the beds. He feels too exposed in front of them, too vulnerable and helpless.

"Now, here's what's gonna happen." Pink lowers herself to sit on the bed in front of Klaus, her head tipping to the side, eyes unblinking behind her mask. She rests her elbows on her knees and leans forwards, gun hanging between her fingers. "You're going to tell us what we need to know. We can go about this the easy way or the hard way, and that's entirely up to you. I think you know already that we're not playing."

Klaus' eyes flit around the room wildly, bouncing between Pink and Blue and, finally, Ben. He's standing just behind Pink between the two motel beds.

"Stay calm," Ben tells him, "breathe slowly, Klaus. Slow it down. Go with it for now."

Klaus does. He nods his head, turning back to Pink, and nods again.

"There's no point in trying to tell us you don't know who Five Hargreeves is. We know who you are, and who all your siblings are. If you're good with us though, then maybe we won't have to bother your siblings. All we want is to talk to Five."

Klaus, for some reason, doubts that's all they want. 

Pink lifts her gun and sets it between his eyes. He knows the safety isn't on and that it's fully loaded.

"I'm going to take the tape off your mouth. I can shoot faster than you can scream, you understand?"

Klaus nods, trying to ignore the cool metal barrel that bounces against his forehead as he does so. 

With that, Pink reaches out with one hand, her nails scratching his skin until she peels the duct tape back. Klaus takes the chance to take in a deep breath, but he doesn't go to scream. Not with Pink's finger hovering over the trigger. Despite wearing the mask, Klaus can tell she's giving him a look to speak. His tongue dashes out across his lips and he swallows dryly.

"Five -"

He doesn't know what to say. He doesn't know where Five is - Luther and Diego are trying to find him at this very moment - and saying that wouldn't be a lie. But would it be a smart decision? Would they kill him here on the spot? Would they even believe him? Even if he did know where Five was, would he tell them? The answer's a firm no.

Pink nudges his temple with her gun and he stammers.

"Five's missing," he blurts. "He - he wasn't there when you shot us up, and he hasn't been there since. None of us know where he is."

Pink doesn't move for a moment. Her mask stares, unwavering, and her hand is as steady as ever. Then she stands up and replaces the duct tape over his mouth and without a warning, she flips the gun in her grip and hits him with it.

Klaus' head whips to the side with it and his jaw signs with pain. Then she does it again, and again, and once more, and he can taste blood. His nails dig into the wooden arms of the chair he's stuck in. Despite his best efforts, he can't loosen the duct tape around his wrists or break it - he thinks they must have used an entire roll between his wrists themselves. His ankles are the same story.

After her final hit Pink drops the gun on the bed in front of him, letting him splutter and ride the pain out while she goes back to whisper to Blue. As she does, Klaus looks around the room.

There's not much; it's a simple, standard motel room. Two beds, a mini fridge and counter, a microwave and a kettle, a television on the wall and a clock, a closet and a bathroom. Klaus twists his head to look at the clock. Quarter to six. He has no idea what time it was when he began to leave the park, and he has no idea how long he was unconscious for. 

_I'm not going to make it to Leonard._

For some reason, the thought twists his stomach. Maybe it's the implication that he won't be alive to see him again, or the idea that he won't see him again. Either way, it makes his bruised ribs tighten against his wheezing lungs and he closes his eyes. Allison had done such a good job on his makeup and eyelashes, too.

Pink's walking back to him again. Her hand jerks his head up to look at her and he tries to smile at her behind the duct tape on his mouth. 

"I gave you a chance," she says, and she almost sounds sad. Klaus knows better, especially when Blue steps forwards and raises his fist.

 

 

 

Half six, the clock reads. 

_I'm not going to make it to Leonard._

His ears ring and he can't hear what Ben's trying to say to him. It doesn't matter though, because Pink yanks the duct tape off his mouth and her voice cuts through the bells in his ears.

"You ready to have a little chat?" She asks. 

Klaus moans behind his gag. She seems to take it as a yes, because she peels it off his lips.

"Where's Five?"

Klaus' lips twitched upwards and he closes his eyes.

"I don't... _fucking_.... know," he hisses between breaths. "No one does. He's - he's a stubborn prick."

Five could be anywhere, for all they know. He could be in a different time period if he wants to be. His obsession with the apocalypse, however, and finding out when and how it happens has taken over his life at the moment, and Klaus hardly knows anything about that, either. He can't fathom where he might be.

"He certainly is," agrees Pink, tone bitter. "But do you think I look that dumb?"

"You're wearing a mask," moans Klaus, peering at her from the corner of his eye. 

That earns him a slap. He closes his eyes, screwing his face up as his cheek stings. "Has Five mentioned us?" She asks, and that startles Klaus. His eyebrows draw together.

"I've no idea who you two are, other than a pair of fuckin' psychos. Just let me go, I can't tell you anything."

"I'm afraid that's not going to happen," she hums. She stands up, seeming to think for a moment, before pointing at Blue and then at the bag they'd brought in from the trunk of their car. He nods, lifting it up and pulling items out. Each one makes his heart skip a beat.

A garrotte. Pliers. A lighter. Another pistol. A towel(?). A small hammer. A rope. An (empty) syringe. Cigarettes. A knife. Another knife. A third knife. Cables. 

He takes the towel and picks up the kettle. It's not been boiled while they've been here, but it's full. Blue steps to his side and then he puts the towel over Klaus' face, holding it down against him, and then water pours over his face. 

It's fine at first - confusing and startling - and then water goes up his nose and he tries to sneeze it out but it doesn't. He can't breathe and all of a sudden he's drowning, water blocking him from getting any air. His wrists tug uselessly at his restraints, fingers twitching and scratching to try and find some release. 

The towel slides off his face and a second later he sucks in a deep breath, body shuddering. The towel returns and the process repeats and repeats until Klaus thinks he honestly might pass out. The world tilts and spins around him, but his captors back off and give him enough time to gather himself. 

His lungs burn fiercely with every breath and he hacks violently, trying to get rid of the water clogging his lungs. It takes several minutes of spluttering and retching before his lungs stop panicking as much and he can take in pained breaths. His whole body trembles unwillingly, teeth chattering. Water dribbles down his chin. His chair had been moved at some point to face the opposite wall so Pink and Blue could stand behind him with their masks off and speak to one another without him seeing their faces. 

"People will notice you're missing," Ben says, crouching by his side. "The others will come for you soon, Klaus. Stay strong."

Klaus closes his eyes, taking another deep breath. Then he grins, tipping his head to the side. He might not be able to physically do anything, but Klaus knows he can run his mouth enough to distract or annoy someone. He simply hopes it won't get him into more trouble. A little voice in his head tells him that he'd be dead by now if they could afford to kill him.

"Darlin'," he drawls, tipping his head back, "this foreplay is really going on for quite some time. I'm afraid I'm not gonna be in a mood for anything else unless you wrap this up." He snickers to himself, lips stretched painfully in a Cheshire grin.

A hand smacks the back of his head. "Is this all a joke to you?" Pink hisses. Her fingers twist his hair and push his head down. "This can all be over once you tell us what you know."

"Oh, but I already have!" Exclaims Klaus, grin tense and forced but there nonetheless. Her grip disappears then and he hears her putting her mask back on before stepping into view. A revolver dangles from her fingers and she makes a show of pushing out the barrel. She empties it out save for one bullet and then she spins the barrel and locks it in place at random.

"You like playing games, huh?" She asks. She places the gun between his eyes, point blank. "What about this one, then?"

Klaus hardly has a second to realise what's going on and to feel scared before she pulls the trigger, and fear like he's never felt before floods his body, an embarrassing, deep sound leaving his lips as the trigger pulls. He's a ball of tensed muscles and shaking nerves when he realises he's still alive by pure luck. Pink seems upset by that, but she pushes the barrel out again, spins it, locks it and sets the revolver aside.

"Maybe next time," she says, and disappears behind him. 

Klaus closes his eyes, breath coming in short, sharp gasps, trying to calm his racing heart. The only thing that saved his life was luck, the slim chance that the bullet hadn't been there. 

The gravity of the situation seems to settle on him, then, and his nails scratch trenches into the wood they're tied down to. He needs out of here, _now_. 

 

 

 

Half seven.

_I'm late for Leonard's._

Klaus glares at the Russian lady who hasn't been quiet for the past near-hour, and the Spanish man who had joined her half an hour ago, sobbing dryly in the corner of the room. 

More keep appearing, and Klaus can't stop them. He doesn't know why there are so many here yet - surely not that many people have been murdered in this shitty motel room? - but it doesn't really matter. He simply has to deal with it.

"So, why don't we talk about your family? You wanna tell us what's up with you all? Five can teleport, your other brother threw a knife at me around a corner from a different room, and your other brother shook off a chandelier."

Klaus barks a nasty laugh at Pink, leering at her from one of his swollen eyes. 

"Oh, _ja_ , we're all sorts of fucked up," he grins, blood stained teeth gritting together. "What can I say? We're a unique family."

Pink looks at him with disgust in her eyes. They'd taken their masks off twenty minutes ago. Klaus had expected a bullet to his head any minute since.

"But, unfortunately for you, you grabbed the one boring, useless member of it. Vanya could've given you more information than me. Sucks to be you, honestly." He snorts, shaking his head. They had a one in six chance and they still managed to grab the useless one. 

Pink chooses to ignore him, glancing around the room before getting up. He hears her messing with something behind him and tenses when he realises she's messing with his jacket.

"Hey!" Klaus whines, pouting his split lip. "That's mine - it has my... personal stuff in there, leave it alone."

Unsurprisingly, she doesn't. Her hands raid the inside and outside pockets, pulling everything out. His cheap phone, a packet of gum, a crumpled up one dollar bill, a tiny pill. She holds that between her fingers, inspecting it, and Klaus tries to ignore the way his body yearns for it.

His withdrawals have him feeling worse, half connected to reality, moments blurring together, his bones throbbing and blood burning. 

"That's - that's my medicine. If you'd be ever so kind to just... put it on my tongue, I'd be forever in your debt," Klaus says, leaning forwards and ignoring Ben's exasperated look. Pink looks between the pill and Klaus and for a moment he thinks she might actually do it.

"Do you think I'm that stupid?" She asks instead, tone bitter. 

Klaus groans in defeat, closing his eyes. "I'm... _so_ much better to deal with when I'm high," he tries instead, "less of a pain in the ass, you know. Don't you want that? I know you do."

Pink snorts, shaking her head. Klaus watches as the pill falls from her hold and she crushes it beneath her shoe. Klaus jumps in his chair, huffing out a stubborn breath.

" _Fuck_!" He snaps, gritting his teeth together. He should have taken it earlier. He's completely sober by now - torture would do that to a person. "You didn't have to do that! Oh, _come on_!"

He takes a slow, steadying breath, fingers shaking over the chairs' arms. His chest rises and falls rapidly, aggravating his bruises. He'll get out. At some point, Allison will message him and when he doesn't respond, they'll know. Or Diego and Luther will find Five and they'll talk about the two psychos currently with him and they'll come find him. Leonard will notice he's not come and he'll...

No one will do anything. Allison will assume he's out all night with Leonard and simply didn't pick up his phone, and Leonard doesn't have his number. 

Klaus will have to get himself out of here. How? He has no idea.

He draws in another breath and looks at an equally helpless Ben. He doesn't know what to do.

 

 

 

He doesn't know what time it is now. 

He doesn't know what's worse, either. Blue had gone out to get them (not Klaus, of course) food, and Pink hadn't wanted to deal with him so she'd wrapped duct tape around his mouth and shoved him into the small closet in the motel. She'd easily ignored his muffled yelling and thumping as he tried to lash out against his restraints. 

The darkness of the closet had crept up on him, only fuelling his fear and anxiety. He had never been a fan of the dark, or of small spaces, and he was going to die. They were going to kill him eventually, and no one would find him. He'd be stuck as a ghost with Ben, following his siblings around until they finally got the call that their brother's body had been found. Or, they'd never get the call. Pink and Blue would cut him up and spread him out across the country and everyone would just assume he disappeared. Maybe they'd get suspicious, but Luther would dismiss it to his junkie habits. Maybe Five would know. Hell, maybe Pink and Blue _would_ tell them. They'd go confront Five and they'd throw his detached hand at his feet, palm up, a final 'GOODBYE'. 

The only thing stopping him from throwing up was knowing it wouldn't be pretty with the duct tape around his mouth.

 

 

 

The first time Reginald had taken him to the mausoleum, he had been nine years old.

When he had asked where they were going, Reginald had simply said "training."

The mausoleum was close to the academy, only a half an hour drive. The sight of a graveyard didn't really surprise him, but Reginald walked straight through the gravestones and to the large tomb in the back. Klaus had felt... wrong as he approached it. The place wasn't meant for him or any other living being to go there. It was home to old spirits that wouldn't take kindly to a trespasser in their territory. They weren't wanted there, and he knew it. Things flashed beyond the stained glass, barred windows, stirring, and Reginald had pulled out a key, twisted it in the lock, and swung open the doors. 

"You will go in there for as long as it takes, Number Four. I want you to use the ghosts in there to get out."

Klaus took a step towards the mausoleum before his eyebrows furrowed and he looked up. "What?"

Reginald's hand shoved him forwards and Klaus felt panic rise in his throat. "Wait - what do you - dad?" 

Reginald watched impassively as Klaus staggered backwards into the crypt. As soon as he was away from the door, staggering down the stairs and back into the cold, damp mausoleum, Reginald pushed the doors closed. Darkness enveloped the small room and it was almost completely pitch black inside. Although he could tell there were ghosts in the room with him they didn't show their faces yet. He could almost feel them, circling around him, breaths of cold air dancing across his skin.

When they did show themselves, it was all at once. Pale flickering faces jumped to life out of the shadows of the mausoleum, jaws slack, lips blue, moaning with each breath. Their glazed eyes looked him up and down, burned right into his core.

 _Alive_ , they said. _Alive alive alive_. 

He was alive and they weren't, and they didn't like that. They hounded him, dead voices rasping out incoherent pleas and cries of rage, flickering around him and stealing the oxygen from around him. 

Klaus didn't get out that night, but he did realise that ghosts didn't forget a face, and that ghosts _hated_ him.

 

 

 

They were still with him. Even when he wasn't in the mausoleum, even after years of not living in the academy, even after Reginald's death, those ghosts were still with him. They were waiting impatiently for his time to be up so they could dig their claws into his bones and drag him back to the mausoleum with him and tear him apart. The mausoleum was a part of Klaus and he'd never be without it. Once he died, that's where he'd go.

Ben tried to remind him how to breathe, slow, steady breaths, but it hurt and Klaus really would rather to simply be unconscious. 

 

 

 

The room smells like Chinese takeaway, and Blue was back. He wasn't wearing his mask, either. A large plastic sheet had been laid out over the floor. 

"So," Pink says, watching Blue drag Klaus out of the closet, "we're gonna do this again."

Klaus can't help the groan that leaves his lips, shaking his head. He's already said everything he can - well, maybe not, but still - and they're still at it. They're determined, he'll give them that. 

He can hardly hear Pink carry on talking over the ghosts in the room, and he has to strain with effort he doesn't have to hear her. 

"Where does Luther live?"

The question surprises him and he blinks slowly, staring at Pink. He raises his eyebrows and mutters behind the gag. With a pointed look, she leans forwards, nails scratching his skin as she rips the tape off his mouth. Klaus hisses, tongue running across his lips. 

"You're not looking for Luther," he croaks. His nails tap anxiously against the armchair. 

"No, but Luther was looking for Five," she responds. She reaches aside and holds up Klaus' cheap phone, looking at the screen. 

Klaus stomach drops and he groans. Of course Luther would have let Allison know, and Allison had said she'd let Klaus know. 

He was such a fucking idiot.

"Last time I heard, Luther lived on the moon," he admits with a lazy grin. "Maybe he's gone back up there and taken little Number Five with him, who knows."

Her hand connects sharply with his cheek, whipping his head to the side and he hisses. She looks at Blue.

"Did you fill it?" She asks. Blue tips his head forwards, and at that she picks up her knife and advances on Klaus. Klaus tenses, pushing himself back in the seat. Pink rolls her eyes and then cuts the tape around his wrists, then does the same to the tape around his ankles. Before Klaus can react, her hand tightens in his hair and hauls him forwards, and his knees buckle. Nonetheless, as he's pulled towards the bathroom, Klaus lashes out weakly, throwing clumsy hits at Pink's back and clawing at her hand. 

So much for years of training, he thinks. He used to be pretty damn good at close combat - arguably one of the better ones in the academy. After all, Allison could rumour people and didn't have to fight, Five could teleport, Diego could throw his knives, Ben had monsters that fought for him, Luther would always be good at fighting and be able to physically overpower almost anyone. Klaus, though, his powers offered no protection. He _had_ to learn how to fight to keep himself safe, because his powers sure as hell wouldn't, and because of that he'd gotten pretty damn good at it. Now, though, tired and ill and beaten, he highly doubted he'd be able to get half way through any defence move before Pink had him against the wall.

Blue's in the bathroom waiting, arms crossed and leaning against the wall, and he looks almost bored as he watches Pink shove Klaus to his knees in front of a full bathtub. Eventually, though, he steps forwards to be the one to hold his hair with one hand, his knee pressing into Klaus' bruised back.

"You gonna tell us where he is?" Pink asks, and Klaus rolls his eyes, trying to dig his nails into Blue's wrist.

"Fuck you," he hisses, glaring at her from the corner of his eye. He sees her shrug then nod to Blue, and then his head's under the water. His hands fly to the rim of the ceramic tub, trying to push himself back out the water. It's a useless attempt against Blue's unwavering grasp, and he only comes back out once Blue pulls his head out. He was a few seconds to gasp and cough before he's shoved back under the cold water. He's pulled out and pushed back in, over and over and over again, splashing water over the place. He's pulled out once more and he can't help but notice the floating eyelash in the water and he laughs. He probably looks like a panda, eyeliner and eyeshadow smudged and running, one eyelash on. He feels bad. It belonged to Allison.

Pink peers over at him, watching him cough and laugh, and she shakes her head. "It's been quite some time," she comments, "I'm beginning to think that no one really cares. Maybe you're as worthless as you seem."

Klaus lets out a cold laugh at that, nodding his head. "Yeah! See, you get it! You got the wrong guy!" 

Pink hums thoughtfully. Then she nods to Blue, and he's back under the water.

He's used to the rhythm Blue had gotten - under until his lungs burn, out for five seconds, back under. When it begins to go longer, though, Klaus' hands lash out again, scratching the wall in front of him and grasping at the rim of the tub. Blue isn't letting him back up, and Ben's yelling at him to fight, but hitting and scratching at the man behind him only forces him further into the tub until his forehead whacks the floor of it. He swallows down water as if it'll turn to air. They're going to drown him, they're going to kill him. He's going to die in a foot of water in some shitty motel with smudged makeup and one eyelash on, covered in bruises and cuts and burns, and no one will know. 

At some point, he stops thrashing. His hands fall by his sides, blood under his nails. Eventually he can't fight the urge to not breathe under the water and he gasps, sucking it all into his lungs, and he flails one last time before everything goes black.

 

 

 

He wakes up on his side on the cold, wet bathroom floor. He isn't sure what happens next, a blur of coughing, gasping, and vomiting. Everything burns. When he finally can breathe he almost doesn't want to from the pain it brings. He brings a shaking hand to his chest as he coughs the water back up into a puddle beside his face. Hands haul him up and drag him back into the living room and he doesn't fight, black spots still dancing in his vision, and he stays limp as he's shoved back onto the chair and his wrists tied down to it. Ben's there, fussing over him.

"You scared the shit out of me," he says, helpless hands hovering over Klaus. "I thought they were going to kill you. Seeing... seeing you like that - holy shit, Klaus," he rambles, wide eyed and pale - paler than usual. Klaus closes his eyes and doesn't even try to speak. His lungs burn and he thinks he'd much rather never breathe again.

Klaus peers at the clock on the wall opposite him. Half ten. Klaus closes his eyes.

 

 

 

"They murdered my son in front of me!" 

"They chased me through a field and shot me in the back of my head."

"She made it look like I killed myself." 

"They burnt my house down. It killed _everyone_."

Klaus shakes his head as if it'll rid the ghosts hounding him. He's trying not to look at them, but they've already latched onto him and began detailing their gruesome deaths. They've really got a terrifyingly, almost impressively, high kill count, and he doubts that these are all of them. 

It looks as if the two had travelled to each country in the world and destroyed people and families, and Klaus, if he wasn't so concerned about his own life, would be desperate to shake Five silly until he told him who these people were and what they did.

He looks away from their victims. Would he end up like them? Following them about and watching them kidnap and kill even more people? Or would he return to the mausoleum? What would happen to Ben when he dies? Would he watch their siblings or find him, wherever he happened to be?

Klaus doesn't want to think about it. When Blue grabs the garrotte from the bed and wraps the wire around his neck and pulls, Klaus laughs painfully and waits to pass out. 

 

 

 

"I say we ditch him and go find them ourselves. We're wasting time with this junkie."

"He obviously knows where some of them are. He's still the best lead we have."

"Is he? He's been talking to the air for the past few hours. Just fucking dump him."

"Why do I have to do it?" 

"Because I've done all the rest of the work, dumbass. Just do it."

"God, fine. Where's the silencer?"

Klaus peels his eyes open to watch Blue rummage around in the room. He's holding his gun - not the revolver they'd used to play roulette with - and seems irritated at the fact that he has to be the one to put a bullet between his black eyes. Klaus grins at him.

"Such a - a trek, isn't it?" He hums. His voice still hasn't picked up from a hoarse whisper. Klaus doesn't know if that's because of the drowning or the strangling. 

Blue glares at him. He finds the thing - silencer, whatever - and shoves it onto the end of his gun. He steps over and Klaus grips the chair. 

"Shut up," he snaps, and Klaus grits his teeth together. He tries to shove himself and the chair back, but it's stuck and his feet slide on the plastic sheet they spread out.

 _Oh_. _That's_ why they put the plastic sheet there.

"Klaus, you have to do something!" Ben begs, but Klaus is quite content (if one ignored the rising terror) with the fact that his life's about to come to a pathetic end in less than a minute. 

"You - you don't have to do this," Klaus whispers, eyes flicking to the closed bathroom door where Pink is. "Just, like, pretend man. Hit me over the head and chuck me in a dumpster and I - I won't say a word! You two can carry on with whatever it is and I won't say anything!"

For a moment, Klaus thinks he's gotten to him. Something flickers in Blue's eyes and he sighs, shifting uncomfortably. Klaus smiles encouragingly, nodding his head. 

"Please, man. You don't have to -"

Blue averts his gaze and pulls the trigger. 

 

 

 

 

 _Klaus blinks rapidly. He's lying down on his back in some forest, an odd sound ringing in his ears, and he pulls himself into a sitting position and looks around, taking in the monochrome surroundings. There's not much around him other than trees and dirt, and a fence a little further away, so Klaus hauls himself up to his feet._   _The lack of pain takes him by surprise for a moment, and when he looks down at himself, there's no wounds. He's still shirtless and shoeless, but he feels... not good, but perfectly fine. Grass crunches under his feet as he strolls forwards and he almost misses the little girls approaching him on her bike. Klaus stops, hands on his knees as he bends over to look at the girl, offering her a friendly smile._   _She doesn't return it._

_"Hello," he greets._

_"Almost didn't see you, you blind right in, being so pale and all," she states. Klaus wonders how she could have missed him when he'd been right in the middle of the track she was riding her bicycle down, but he just hums._

_"They don't have any sun down there?"_

_"Down... there? Where am I?"_

_"Where do you think?" The girl responds calmly, and Klaus shrugs his shoulders, looking over the peaceful scene around them._

_"I'm not sure," he admits, "I'm agnostic, so..."_

_She cuts him off. "Doesn't really matter. You can't stay here." She almost seems... frustrated when she says that, as if Klaus had walked in here uninvited, against her will, and she couldn't make him leave herself._

_"Why not?" asks Klaus. It's not like he feels a huge pressure forcing himself to stay where he is - and he doesn't even know where he is, anyway. He's got a strong inkling, though. Heaven isn't what he expected._

_"To be blunt, I don't really like you all that much," she states, staring up at him without much of an expression._

_"Mm. Yeah, me neither," utters Klaus, glancing aside. His eyebrows draw together. "But wait a minute. Aren't you supposed to love all of us?" If he is really did, if Blue really did pull the trigger, and he really did end up in Heaven, then that must mean that surely this little girl, who seems to have such an odd aura about her, must be God. Right? Who knows. He's never been here before._

_The girl scoffs as if that was ridiculous. "Where'd you get that idea? I need you so I can pick and choose. And, you don't rub me the right way."_

_"Wait... so you made us? You made me?" So it is God, then. Or, whatever God is supposed to be._

_God, the little girl on the bike, whoever, whatever, sounds uncomfortably uncertain. "Well, I made everything else, so I must've made you."_

_Klaus chuckles slightly at that - obviously. The girl continues._

_"Why? Do you have another idea?"_

_Klaus shrugs, glancing to the side. "Maybe. A couple. I don't know." Distractedly, he reaches out, fingers brushing over the pristine flowers in her basket._

_"Well, keep them to yourself," says the girl dismissively. "Time is flying, so hurry up. He's waiting for you."_

_She points a finger to the side then and Klaus follows it, standing up._

_"Who is?" He asks._   _The girl doesn't respond and Klaus has no idea who she means, but he can spot the little shack off to the side. Curious, Klaus begins walking over to it, stepping over branches and weeds on his way._  

_The shack is a barber's shop, apparently, which doesn't make much sense, but he isn't about to argue. A chime rings as he steps inside and he glances around, waiting for the mystery man to appear, and he takes a seat in one of the chairs._

_He doesn't hear footsteps, but someone comes up from behind him, wrapping a cloak around him and following it up by wrapping a warm towel over his face. Klaus lets out a sigh, relaxing into the chair that he's not tied down to._

_"Oh, that feels so nice," he murmurs, eyes fluttering closed._

_"What in God's name took you so long?"_

_Well, there goes the nice atmosphere. With a slow, reluctant move, Klaus lifts the towel off his face, disbelief running through him._

_"Dad," he breathes._

_"I expected my son who can conjure the dead to have brought me forth days ago," Reginald states, moving back and forth between Klaus and the little stand full of trimming equipment. Klaus feels dread flood through him and he slumps._

_"Oh, yeah, well, you see... It's complicated. You know, I... I tried. I -" he stopped, pressing his lips together as Reginald roughly dabbed shaving cream over his face._

_" - I did, but -"_

_"You were poisoning yourself," Reginald interrupts._

_"Well, what do you expect?" Defends Klaus. "You'd just died. I was beside myself with grief." It's a lie and they both know it._

_"Don't you dare try to use me as an excuse for your weakness."_

_Klaus scoffs a little. "Oh, right, well, yeah, you had nothing to do with it. Locking me in a mausoleum with corpses when I was thirteen? No, you're right, it's irrelevant."_

_Reginald holds his head slightly to the side, approaching with a razor. He sighs in exasperation at Klaus, who flinches away._

_"Ah - ah - ah - ah - ah. Careful, dad," he utters, staring up at him as if expecting Reginald to just hit him over the head with it._

_"Don't worry. You're already dead."_

_Ah. So he was. Klaus closes his eyes._

_"Well, that's a relief."_

_"You children like to blame me for everything.”_

_Klaus opens his eyes, looking away as Reginald, surprisingly carefully, begins to shave his face. "Well, you were a sadistic prick," he comments quietly. "Not to mention the world's worst father."_

_"I just wanted you to live up to your potential," responds Reginald, shaking his head disapprovingly. "You especially." He sounds almost sad. "You're my greatest disappointment, Number Four. You only scratched the surface of what you were truly capable of. If only you'd focused."_

_Klaus' eyebrows furrow and he reaches up to grip Reginald's wrist, stopping him. "Wait, wait, wait. What... what potential?" He asks, but Reginald continues._

_"No, instead you pump yourself full of poison because you're afraid," he sneers. "Afraid of what? The dark?"_

_Klaus sighs, closing his eyes. "You know, I suggest you get down off your high horse there, dear Papa. You never had our best interests at heart. Look at your precious Number One. Luther wasted his entire life trying to please you and you never even said thank you. You just used him because he was so desperate to please you."_

_Reginald pauses then and Klaus thinks that maybe he got him. Maybe Reginald will realise what he's put all seven of them through and maybe redeem himself. Instead, the man sighs._

_"Yes, that was foolish of him. But he always was the most obedient. I thought he might live up to what's in store for you all. I'm not too sure of that now."_

_Klaus looks away in disbelief, laughing hollowly. "That's your takeaway?" He asks. "Oh, wow. Yeah, of course it is."_

_Reginald's hand roughly pulls his head to the side and he grimaces, swallowing dryly. It takes him a moment to relax._

_"I knew that the world would soon need him, need all of you, and I had to do what was necessary... is he okay?"_

_Klaus stays silent for a moment, and then he tips his head back to meet his father's gaze._

_"Do you care?" He asks. Reginal frowns at him, leaning closer._

_"Everything I did, everything I put you through, it was to prepare you, all of you, for something bigger than yourselves. You never understood that."_

_Klaus' throat feels tight. Even in death, it seems Reginald only pushed for what he had in life. It hurt. Klaus didn't want their father to always be like that, even if he had accepted it a long time ago. Or maybe he hadn't. Maybe a part of him always hoped Reginald would turn around and act like a normal father, call them by their real names, and actually love them._

_"We were -" he reaches up, grabbing Reginald's hand and pulling it away from his throat. He blinks back hot tears, looking up at his father. "We were just kids. Little kids."_

_"You were never just kids," states Reginald, voice slightly quieter. Something shone in his eyes. "You were meant to save the world."_

_With that, he went back to shaving Klaus' face, and Klaus looks away, trying to process everything. He was dead. God didn't like him. She wasn't sure if she had specifically made them. Reginald had been here, waiting that whole time. Nothing had changed. Klaus had untouched potential. The world needed saving. Five._

_"Wait, wait... so you knew... knew all about this? About the apocalypse?"_

_"I knew that I had to bring you all back together, one way or another," his father says. "The fate of the world depended on it."_

_"Wh - what? What are you saying?" Klaus pleads, eyes narrowed. Reginald pulls back slightly, eyes intense._

_"The only way to get you all back together was something... momentous." He pulls the razor closer to his own neck, making a movement of slitting it, and Klaus' stomach drops._

_"Wait... You - no. You don't mean... You killed yourself?"_

_Reginald nods._

_Klaus feels sick. He's never liked their father. But if there's something good to have come out of years of rehab, alcoholics anonymous meetings and therapy, it was working through a ton of his childhood and his feelings towards his family, including his father. As much as he doubts he'll ever forgive the man for everything he did to them - all of them - the idea of his father purposely killing himself is... sickening._

_"Oh, Christ," he moans. "You could never do things the easy way, could you? You couldn't have picked up a phone?"_

_Reginald raises an eyebrow. "Would you have answered?" Klaus opens his mouth to respond though no words come out, and then Reginald leans forwards again, an urgency in his tone._

_"Now, listen to me, Number Four. What I'm about to say is of great importan -"_

_He can't finish, a ringing in Klaus' ears blocking him out and a light growing brighter, encompassing everything and swallowing everything up - the barber shop, Reginald, everything. He feels his own heartbeat, feels something more than the absence of everything since he died, and he realises what's about to happen. He screws his eyes shut, shaking his head._

_"No, no, no, no, no, no, no. I can't... no, I can't... I can't go back. I can't go back! No! Wait!"_

 

 

 

On a bloodstained plastic sheet in a shitty motel, Klaus throws himself forwards with a gasp. _Fuck_ , everything _hurts_. It's almost overwhelming, the pain, the everything, and his hands - untied - go up, wrapping around himself. He blinks several times, clearing his vision, and he hears surprised yelling. 

Pink and Blue are around him, gloves on. Klaus' legs are half wrapped up in the plastic sheet.

"I thought you fucking killed him!" Pink snaps, pointing her gun at Klaus. Blue looks terrified.

"I - I did! You saw his face! I - I just turned him over!" Blue defends, staring at Klaus as if he'd just seen a ghost. Technically, he had, Klaus thinks with a laugh. In the corner of the room, Ben stares at him with wide, watery eyes and a tear stained face. He splutters silently, lost for words, and Klaus can't really explain it. 

Pink takes the safety off her gun, hand shaking almost un-noticeably, and when her finger goes back to the trigger Klaus throws his hands out, yelling in surprise. 

The gun goes flying to the other end of the room. 

Everyone stares at it on the floor, shocked, and then Klaus looks back at Pink and Blue. They stare at him. He stares at them.

They all lunge for the gun. Klaus thinks he might pass out from all the pain, but adrenaline runs through him, his heart racing under his ribcage, and he scrambles for it, bloody fingers scratching the ground. His hand closes around it and he turns onto his back, pointing it at Pink. She's quick, however, and almost immediately kicks it out of his grip and it falls along the bed beside them. Everyone scrambles for it still but Pink wraps an arm around his throat and pulls him back while Blue grabs the gun, holding it in a shaking grip at a thrashing Klaus. 

"You can't kill me," he blurts. He has no idea if that's true or not, but he supposes since God sent him down now saying he couldn't stay, he doubts another ten seconds later would be his due date, so she must send him back if they kill him again. Not like Klaus wants to die again. He feels utterly horrible. 

"I'll just keep coming back. You'll never get rid of me," he rambles, trying to sound more confident than he feels. He grips at Pink's arms, trying to pull it off his abused throat. Now that he's alive again his voice is hoarse and quiet again, raspy, and each breath burns. He sees Blue exchange unsure looks with Pink and he grins blood stained teeth.

"We'll find a way to get rid of you," Pink snorts, and Klaus shakes his head with a laugh.

"I don't think you will," he states. "You can't. It's impossible."

"Don't think you can heal a decapitated head," she says suddenly, as if just coming up with the thought. Blue stares at her, wide eyed, but she drags Klaus back and jerks her head to the door. As Blue leaves she clamps a hand onto his mouth and they stay like that, Klaus fighting for air and scratching at wherever he could reach, until Blue returns. Holding a small saw. Klaus' gaze flicks to the side at a tortured gasp and he looks at a ghost with a missing arm. Shit.

"Klaus!" Ben yells, looking utterly horrified, and Klaus can't blame him. If not for his sudden rush of adrenaline and determination to live, he probably would have been screaming too. 

Pink's grip tightens, cutting off his air supply completely and Klaus gasps silently, kicking out, but as time passes he grows weaker. When he does, Pink throws him aside onto the other motel bed and Klaus gasps for breath, rubbing his sore throat. He wonders if he's going to end up with permanent damage to his throat or lungs as they seem to absolutely love to mess with his breathing. It would suck if he did. 

He turns onto his back, throwing his hands up when Pink comes back around the opposite end of the bed, holding his hands down in one of hers, the other hand holding his hair to tip his head back. Blue sits on the bed, specifically on his thighs, pinning his legs down, and Klaus watches with horror as he grips the small saw. He doesn't look entirely confident, but he had also just shot Klaus point blank. He bucks his hips, arches his back and tries to twist his way out of their grasp but it's useless. The ghosts in the room yell incoherently, like some damned, hellish song reaching its chorus. He can hear Ben yelling too, horrified and panicked, and Klaus can only think _are they really going to do this? Is Blue really going to go through with this? Are they serious?_

Then the blade touches his neck and Klaus screams.

Ben's fist connects with Blue's face, throwing the man off with his shock. Pink staggers back, looking at Ben with wide eyes, and then at the dozen other occupants in the room that she'd previously been ignoring. Her mouth moves silently in shock and Klaus gathers himself enough to throw himself off the bed, crawling between the legs of the now-physical ghosts around them. Upon realising they were solid, or corporeal or whatever, they all shared a look before looking at their murderers. Any humanity Klaus had gotten used to seeing in them was gone, rage and grief replacing it, and Klaus tries not to listen to the fighting. His glowing hand - _glowing_! - grabs his jacket off the floor and he all but hurls himself out of the door, Ben hot on his heels, his hand touching Klaus' back. 

"Just run, Klaus," he says, and Klaus doesn't mind pushing aside what the fuck just happened to do so.

Klaus runs. He isn't sure what motel they're at, or where he is, but he keeps running until his adrenaline runs out and everything crashes around him. His feet, throbbing and cut from stones and glass on the pavements and alleyway floors he'd ran down, stagger as if suddenly just refusing to continue on and he catches himself against a wall. When Ben tries to touch him, to steady him, his hand falls through him and he looks upset, but shoves it aside.

"Klaus, hey, come on, don't stop now," he urges, looking around. It must be a funny sight. A man that looks more like a corpse than a living being, dressed in tight leather pants, talking to the air. He's truly lost it, hasn't he? It would be a funny sight if there was anyone around to see them, but Klaus knows it must be way too early in the morning for that. He slides down the wall he's leaning against, forcing his shaking arms into his jacket that he hasn't had time to put on yet, and he wraps it around himself. His tortured lungs struggle to draw air in and he covers his mouth with a trembling hand and tries not to laugh.

"Klaus, you're close to the academy I think. You just need to make it there. It's not far, Klaus, you need to get up."

He doesn't want to, though. He thinks that if there's been a time he deserves a rest, it's now. He's used to sleeping in an alleyway, and he'd be fine to do so for one night. If he's not far from the academy then it can wait until the next day. Klaus doesn't think he'll survive the night. 

It doesn't matter though, does it? He's already died. He got shot in the face. They were going to _decapitate_ him. _Holy shit_. 

When he starts laughing, he can't stop, even if it hurts.

But Ben looks so sad, so unbearably sad, so he digs his nails into the wall and tries to pull himself up and he starts walking.

"Klaus, the academy's the other way. It's down that way," Ben says, walking just in front of him and pointing somewhere behind his back. Klaus waves him off lazily. He knows where else he's close to. If he focuses then he can recognise the street he's on. The academy's about twenty minutes away. He won't make it that far before he gives out. However, there's a house perhaps ten minutes away. It's a better shot.

He drags his feet in that direction, watching the world move around him. He blinks and the house is in sight. He thinks he sees a light on in the kitchen. 

It takes an unbearably long time to haul himself up the staircase to the door and his knees shake when he reaches out to gently knock his knuckles against the door. His vision swims and Ben's voice turns to the ringing in his ears.

The door opens and Klaus smiles.

"Hi," he says, and he falls to his knees in front of Leonard.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you enjoyed! Feel free to leave a kudos or a comment if you did, I appreciate it all! Thank you!  
> You can reach me on Tumblr @veteranklaus.


	8. Honey, There's Still Time

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oof, enjoy!

"Shit, shit, alright - what the fuck."

Ben watches as Leonard ducks down, arms going under Klaus' to heave his brother back to his feet. One of Klaus' hands grip Leonard's shoulder, the other holding onto the doorframe as he tries to take most of his weight while they stagger through the door and back inside, Leonard kicking the door closed with the heel of his foot.

Ben feels utterly helpless. All he can do is rush by their side, walking through objects, and watch as Klaus collapses into one of the dining table seats in the kitchen. 

"I'm late," he mutters, "sorry 'bout that."

Leonard laughs a little at that, running a hand down his face and shaking his head. "What? I don't think that's really important right now, Klaus." His eyes go up and down his brother, taking in the multitude of wounds. The black eyes, the split lip, the bruised jaw, bloody nose. His torso looks like a warzone, dark bruises from the shoot up at the academy still prominent and reaching around to frame the new wounds he'd gotten, the cigarette and lighter burns, the cuts, the new blossoming bruises. His neck - Ben thinks that's possibly the worst part of it. Angry, fiery red and purple, finger-shaped bruises stretching around his neck like a collar, lines marring his skin where the garrotte had cut ruthlessly into it. There's a small, rough gash on his neck, still bleeding, from where the saw had nicked his skin before Ben had managed to punch the man. He's still wet from the multiple waterboarding and actual-drowning sessions. Ben thinks he sees blood still in his hair from when he'd been shot.

And, fuck. Ben doesn't think he'll ever be able to forget the events of the past few hours. It had been alright at first, when Klaus had cracked jokes and they had had hope that someone would come for them. Seeing his brother getting beaten up was hard enough, but he knew Klaus. Klaus could bounce back from things, and in the past decade or so, it certainly wasn't the first time he'd seen his brother get into a fight - fuck, get kidnapped (though admittedly never to this extent) - before. But these people were serious, were trained in how to torture and murder people, and Klaus' withdrawals were at their peak. He had thought the worst part was seeing him held underwater, seeing his body thrash, nails leave scratch marks on the wall and the tub around him, and seeing the assassins looked so... unbothered while his brother literally drowned. But seeing him go limp and just be held there for several, agonising seconds, too still, before Blue had pulled him out of the tub and left him to wake up on his own. He had thought that would be the worst part of it. The image was certainly burned into his head. Nothing, however, would top watching his brother get shot. 

He really had thought he'd won Blue over at that moment. Blue was mean, certainly, but he was more empathetic than Pink was. Pink wouldn't have hesitated when Blue had, wouldn't have considered the possibility of pretending to kill Klaus to let him go, but Blue had. And he'd shot him nonetheless. Blood had sprayed everywhere and Blue left to wash it off his face and Ben was there with Klaus' body - his body - in its gory, bloody detail. Five agonising minutes where all he could do was stare at the bloody hole in his brother's face. Then Blue rolled him over for a split second, and when he pulled him back his face and head was intact and Klaus was alive, gasping for air like nothing had happened. 

But then the fucking _saw_. That shit only happened in movies - people didn't actually get cut up in real life. That just - it just didn't _happen_ , and not to Klaus. Although one might argue that if it were to happen to anyone, it would, of course, end up being Klaus. It was simply his luck. 

Ben was glad ghosts couldn't vomit. 

However, even if every time he blinked he saw those moments - his limp body in a bath, his bloody body with a bullet in his brain, his horrified expression as they tried to hold him down on the bed - play out on his eyelids, they had more pressing matters. Like first making sure Klaus wasn't actually about to die (again) from all of his wounds. 

"I - fuck - I really think we should go to a hospital, Klaus," says Leonard, his hand settled on Klaus' shoulder. His brother's eyes had closed for a moment but he jolted at that, snapping them open and shaking his head.

"No, no hospitals -"

"Klaus -"

" _Please_ , Leonard. Please." 

Ben knew what hospitals were like for Klaus. They rivalled a cemetery for the amount of ghosts there, though the worse thing about the hospitals were that the ghosts were always coming, and they were always new. People in accidents that had died before their time. Children. People in pain. Families with no time to say goodbye. It was horrific for Klaus, and he'd dodge a hospital at whatever cost. 

Leonard stares at Klaus for several moments, conflicted, before he sighs. "Alright, fine. Just - one second." 

He watches Leonard rummage around in his cupboards for a moment and Ben steps forwards to Klaus. He's slumping on the dining table, making wheezing noises with each breath. 

"Hey," he says, voice thick. "Klaus. I - I'm sorry. Holy shit. Look at me, Klaus, are you alright?" He asks, ducking his head to meet his gaze. "You - what happened, Klaus? You died," he chokes out, because he had. Ben had watched Klaus die in a way that no one could just come back from, and yet here he was, alive and breathing, albeit poorly.

Klaus shrugs half-heartedly. "I did," he mutters. "I did. God sent me back."

Ben raises his eyebrows, opening his mouth to say something but Leonard puts a box down right where Ben's hand is.

"Did you say something?" The brunette asks Klaus, opening the box. He has bandages and creams and such inside, though Ben still hopes that he would just bring him to a hospital. He didn't want to risk it.

"I died," Klaus states, slumping back in his chair. His lips tilt upwards shakily and he shakes his head. "He killed me."

Leonard frowns, ducking down to look at Klaus. "Klaus, you're not dead. You're alive. You might not look it or feel it, but you are."

Klaus laughs, shaking his head. "No, no, no, not like _that_ ," he moans. "I _was_ dead. He killed me. I'm alive _now_. But he... he shot me. Right in the face."

Leonard's thumb dances over Klaus' cheek, but he focuses on looking over his wounds and picking out burn cream first. 

"Klaus..." 

He laughs, hollow and quiet and it turns quickly into pained coughing. 

"Oh, God. Oh my God. I met God. She doesn't like me," Klaus rambles, his lip quivering, and Ben closes his eyes. "I don't think I can die. Not now, at least. And - oh my god. I think I killed them. I think I did. I -"

"Klaus, hey, hey," Leonard hushes, tipping his head up. "Just breathe, Klaus. What happened isn't important right now, okay? Let's focus on getting you patched up, and we can talk after. Just relax. I've got you," he says, and he runs a hand through Klaus' hair, helps him out of his jacket, and he murmurs about random things until Klaus relaxes and stops flinching so much every time Leonard touches him. 

Klaus drifts in and out of consciousness on the table and Leonard focuses on cleaning blood off his skin as well as he can and they all try to ignore the way he tenses at the sound of water. 

"Are you going to be okay with a bandage on your neck?" Leonard asks. "That's probably what I'm most worried about."

Klaus waves a hand and nods, lazily tipping his head back so Leonard can reach it easier. He cleans the wound first as gently as he can and makes sure there's no more bleeding. He runs his thumb over the marks with a frown and a sigh before bandaging it as best he can.

"I'm not sure there's much more I can do," he admits. "I still think we should go to the hospital. Sit up, I'll get some painkillers," he offers gently.

"Does that include vodka?" asks Klaus with a small snort, though he does force himself to sit up. Leonard gives him a look before glancing at his fridge. 

"Not right now," he says, "I don't want you going into a coma in the middle of the night." He rummages in his cupboard before finding some painkillers and he puts two in his hand, holding them out to Klaus who gratefully takes them. He swallows them dry, although it takes him longer than it usually does to take pills. 

"So boring," mutters Klaus but he smiles at him nonetheless. Leonard taps his shoulder gently. 

"Come on, you need to lay down. Couch or bed?" He asks, and Klaus weighs his options. The bed's comfier, but he thinks he honestly might just kill himself if that ghosts is there. However, Ben does a quick sweep of the house and is happy to report that all seems quiet for now.

"Let's aim for the bed," Klaus says, and he swings an arm around Leonard's shoulders. Slowly, they make their way towards the staircase, and even slower they make their way up it. Klaus regrets choosing the bed now, but they're half way up the stairs already and he's not turning around now. 

Leonard turns the bedside lamp on as they go on, and helps him sit on the edge of the bed. Then he helps in unbuttoning his tight leather pants and peels them off his legs, and with that, Klaus slumps into his bed with a moan. He feels utterly exhausted and rightfully so, but he feels like he's hardly keeping himself together. 

The bed dips as Leonard sits on the other side and inches forwards behind Klaus. "Do you want to talk?" He offers, voice quiet, and Klaus closes his eyes with a laugh.

"I don't even know," he mumbles. "I just... I got drunk. I went for a walk. The... the psychos that shot the house up... they were there again. They found me. Wanted to know where Five was - god knows where he is. They... well, they did this," he says, waving a hand to himself. "They..." He swallows dryly, voice thick. "They drowned me. I thought they were going to kill me. I couldn't - I couldn't breathe. He didn't stop. I... that was scary. They liked to strangle me. Properly fucked my throat up. And then... they just got fed up, y'know. And he shot me, right in the face. I died. I actually died. I went to heaven, I think. Met God - she doesn't like me. Spoke to my father. Came back to life. They... holy shit. Leonard, they were gonna cut off my fucking head. _You can't heal that_ , she said. He got out a saw and - and they held me down. But I... something happened. I think I did it," he murmured, his voice growing quiet towards the end.

Leonard's hand ran up and down Klaus' arm, over the bandages on his wrists. "Did what, Klaus?"

Klaus toyed with his bottom lip. "They were just gonna shoot me again. She was about to, but I - I think I threw the gun away without touching it. And then Ben punched him. Like, punched him. But Ben's a ghost. I made him solid. And all the other ghosts - they killed so many people - were physical, too, and they were angry. I ran out, but the ghosts... they might have killed them. I don't know. But they - Leonard - they were solid. Corporeal. I did that."

Leonard's hand kept dancing over Klaus' arms soothingly, moving to trace shapes on his stomach. For a moment, he didn't speak, and Klaus thinks he might have scared him off.

"You're safe now," he says, breath warm on his ear. "We'll figure this out, I promise. I've got you. You didn't do anything wrong. You did what you had to."

 

 

 

It didn't take long for Klaus to fall asleep, and for once he slept without any nightmares or dreams, and when he wakes up he almost feels better. Less drained, but utterly aware of the state he's in. Leonard's pressed up against his back, one leg between Klaus', one hand on his stomach. If the way his hand draws shapes on his skin is an indication, he's awake as well.

Not yet wanting to face consciousness, Klaus closes his eyes once more and lets out a long breath. He just wants to rest, for his body to stop aching like it is, to be oblivious to it all.

Slowly, though, Klaus forces himself to turn around in the bed to face Leonard. He pries his eyes open then, just enough to look up at Leonard who, sure enough, is gazing down at him. He smiles slightly at him.

"How are you feeling?" He asks, and Klaus moans, closing his eyes.

"Like I just got tortured for an entire night," he mutters. Leonard snorts slightly.

"Being tortured for an entire night might do that to you," he comments. Klaus' lips twitch upwards and he gently shoves his arm.

"Just take it easy," he says, "we're in no rush."

Klaus tips his head in a nod and lets his eyes close again. Leonard holds him close and they fall into silence for several long moments.

"Thank you," he whispers. Leonard hums, running a hand through his hair. 

"For what?" He questions curiously.

"For everything," he replies. "I - you... yeah."

Leonard gives a small laugh. His hand softly follows the map of bruises along his torso, down his spine, pressing him close. "I'm here for you, Klaus," he states, "whatever you need. You have me."

Klaus opens his eyes as Leonard's fingers tips his chin up to meet him in a kiss and Klaus melts into it.

"I'm sorry for... just showing up like this," he says as Leonard pulls back. "I, uh, I didn't know what to do. I was nearby."

"Don't apologise," Leonard dismisses, resting a hand on his cheek. "I'm glad you came here rather than just wandering outside until you collapsed. I still think we should have gone to the hospital, but I'm glad you're... mostly okay. Seriously, how are you feeling?" He asks. 

Klaus lets out a long breath. "Sore," he admits with a dry laugh. "I'm... still not entirely sure I'm actually alive, to be honest. I don't know what to make of it. Really just trying not to break down and sob like a big baby."

Leonard sits up in the bed, gently urging Klaus up with him and he pulls him against his chest in a way that's as comfortable as it gets with his injuries. 

"Do you what you need to, baby. I'm here. You're allowed to cry."

And he does. His lip quivers and he pushes the heels of his hands against his eyes, tears running down his cheeks. He isn't even really sure why. If it's from the pain of his injuries, the fact he literally died, that he spoke to his father, that his father killed himself, the withdrawals making him feel utterly horrible, the realisation that he'd experienced all this, the fact that God herself doesn't like him, that he seems to have new powers that he never knew before, that he possibly just killed two people (even if they deserved it) or that, despite it all, he's in Leonard's bed, in his arms. 

Once he starts, however, it takes him long to stop, spending an intermediate amount of time sobbing dryly while Leonard murmurs soft words of comfort. 

He's alive. Despite all of the odds, he's somehow alive. Nonetheless, he still killed two people. He let ghosts tear them apart. 

Klaus presses the heels of his hands against his eyes, fingertips running through his hair. He just doesn't know what to do. What happens now? Do the police arrest him? Does the apocalypse happen? Does he go out and find a dealer? He has no idea. For now he simply tries to focus on Leonard's heart beating under his ear, his tight grip on him. He murmurs comforting words to him, voice low and soft, and it makes him cry a little harder. The only time someone shows care in him is if they want to get high with him and take him back to some shitty motel room and have sex until they passed out. But they never actually cared about him, never actually had his best interests at heart, cared about what animals he wanted, never wanted to wake up on a chilly winter's morning next to him and cook breakfast and watch dumb movies for hours. And yet, here Leonard was, running his hand up and down Klaus' arm and whispering soft words. 

He heaves in a breath, sitting up slightly and running the tips of his fingers under his eyes. 

"Fuck, I'm sorry, I just... fuck," Klaus mumbles.

"Hey, hey, don't worry about it," Leonard dismisses, "I think if there's a time you're entitled to cry, now's that time."

Klaus lets out a hollow laugh. "I guess."

"How about I run you a bath?" The brunette offers.

_Klaus' shaking arms tried to fight back against Blue's unrelenting grip, to push his head out of the water. When he thought he couldn't go any longer, he was finally yanked back out, spluttering. Then, with hardly enough time to get enough air, he was back under._

"No," Klaus says, a little too fast. "No. Not right now. Thanks."

Leonard doesn't dwell on it, simply humming and nodding, and Klaus is grateful for that. He lets his eyes slip closed, melting the tension from his shoulders and slumping against his chest. 

"That's fine," he says. "That's fine. We'll take today easy."

Klaus nods his head happily and they lapse into silence for a while, a mess of bruised limbs and tangled bedsheets. Klaus tries to ignore the ache throughout his entire body, but eventually they get up.

"I want to check over some of the worst of that later, make sure it's not infected," Leonard tells him. He stands by the end of the bed, one hand outstretched, watching Klaus heave himself to his feet, body shaking in protest. Klaus takes the offered hand, stretching with a groan. "Up for some breakfast?"

Klaus tips his head in a nod. "Let's do it."

They make their way back downstairs slowly, Klaus gripping the banister with one hand, the other around Leonard's hips. They settle in the kitchen and while waiting for the kettle to boil, he rummages around in his cupboards in his fridge.

"I bought waffles," he states with a small smile, and Klaus grins in return.

"Fuck yeah." 

Klaus watches quietly as he cooks the waffles for them, picking out some fruit from his fridge to add to it before he sits at the table next to Klaus, sliding a plate in front of him. A steaming cup of tea joined it and Klaus whispers a "thank you". 

"How are you feeling?" Leonard asks, looking at him over the rim of his coffee. 

"Sore as a bitch," Klaus says with a weak laugh, looking away. Leonard reaches out, hand slipping into Klaus' empty one and drawing his gaze back up.

"And about everything else?" He asks, eyebrows raised. Klaus swallows, shrugging half-heartedly.

"I... I don't know. I'm... so much happened. I don't know how."

Leonard nods. "One thing at a time," he says with a smile. "We can assume that you've found out you have new powers. You came back from certain death; so, immortality."

"I don't think I'm immortal," he interrupts. "Or, not really."

Leonard cocks his head to the side and Klaus sighs, shifting on his seat.

"I died. No question about that. But when I died, I met God - or, as close to God as real life gets, I guess? And She said I couldn't stay. I don't think that I'm immortal, but I guess I just wasn't supposed to die then. I... yeah. I think that's it."

Leonard nods and Klaus looks at his nails.

"Well, if you weren't supposed to be there but it seems She couldn't make you just leave or stop you from going there, I'd almost say that you might have some personal connection to it. I mean, don't people that get murdered just end up as ghosts?" He queries, and Klaus ponders over that for several moments. He's never liked talking about his powers and even now he doesn't, but he almost wants to. He doesn't know what he just did or what he's capable of, and he doesn't want to risk losing control over something. For a brief moment, his thoughts wander to Ben. He thinks he understands his own fear of his own power better now, and the fear of having something he can't control.

"I... they do," he confirms. And he knows that Blue and Pink had their fair share of ghosts already following them. It would make sense for Klaus to die and simply reappear as a ghost and be stuck near his murderers for the rest of eternity. However, he hadn't. He'd found himself in some further afterlife with God who didn't expect or want him there, yet couldn't make him leave - or at least not immediately which, considering She was supposed to be God, would be concerning. If one could create everything in existence, one shouldn't have trouble kicking a junkie out of Heaven. But it doesn't make sense, and he wasn't about to kill himself or get murdered again to figure it out.

Swiftly, he moves on. "I made the ghosts corporeal. Or manifested them, whatever," he states.

"Have you ever been able to do that before?" asks Leonard.

Klaus shakes his head. "No. Dad always used to think I might be able to do that, but I never was able to. I... I'm sober. Drugs mess with my powers, but I hadn't had anything much before and nothing that day. I guess he was right about all that untapped power," he mutters with a harsh laugh. He shakes his head, running his other hand through his hair. "Then there was the gun... I - she went to shoot me again. I just," he makes a motion of throwing his hand up, "and the gun just went flying."

"Telekinesis," utters Leonard, and Klaus hums.

"Apparently." Klaus sighs, shaking his head. "I just - I've only ever been able to see ghosts, conjure them and shit. And then I accidentally get the most sober I've been since I was, like, thirteen, and suddenly I'm all over the fucking place." 

The reminder of how sober he is only makes him groan further. He didn't even mean to get this sober, either, and he doesn't want to be. 

Leonard squeezes his hand and he looks up again. "Do you want to learn more about your powers?" He asks, and Klaus hesitates. He has no idea. He doesn't think he'll be able to rest easy again knowing that there's unpredictable, reckless power at the tips of his fingers, waiting to lash out whenever he decided to get sober. 

"I don't know," he shrugs. He lets his eyes flicker closed and he hears Leonard's chair scrape the floor as he stands up and walks over. His hands rest on Klaus' shoulders and run down his sides and he ducks down to kiss his cheek.  

"Maybe it'd be worth it," he says. 

"Drugs are... _so_ good, though," moans Klaus in response, lips twitching up, and Leonard snorts.

"I'll be here to help," Leonard promises, "whatever you want to do."

  
Klaus leans back against him and sighs. It would be... so easy to just go steal something from Reginald's office (again) and pawn it for money, seek out any of the many dealer's that recognise Klaus, and get his hands on something. So, unbelievably easy.

  
"I... fuck, I don't know what to do," he groans, shaking his head. He runs his hand through his hair, tugging lightly, and then drops his hands onto his lap. "You know, I... It's just quite insane. I... Christ. I died. I - if not for my powers, or whatever, I'd be at the bottom of a lake right now. No one would have known any better. Allison and Vanya might've thought something was up after, like, a few days. Luther would be pissed," he laughs, biting his lip.

  
Leonard frowns, rubbing his shoulder. "They'd notice if you were missing, Klaus," he says, and Klaus shakes his head.

  
"No, no, no. They wouldn't. I said I was going out. They'd just assume I got way too high. I wish," he snorts. Leonard steps to his side, his fingers tipping his chin up.

  
"Whether or not you used to... do things like that, doesn't mean that you should just let things slide," he says. "Like you said, Klaus. You died there. And imagine if you hadn't come back from it."

  
Klaus lets out a sigh, looking away briefly. "But I did! Come back, I mean," he tries, raising his eyebrows. "No harm, no foul."

  
"No harm?" repeats Leonard, and he purposely looks Klaus up and down. "Klaus, you still can't speak properly, honey. You shake in your sleep. You collapsed at my door. Klaus... you're worth more than an assumed overdose."

  
Klaus cringes at that, teeth gritting together and eyes closing. He doesn't have a response for that. Leonard runs a hand through his hair and his lips press a gentle kiss to his forehead.

  
"Drink your tea," Leonard says, "it's supposed to be good for your throat."

  
He wanders aside then, putting his empty plate in the sink and running hot water over it. Klaus hesitates for a moment but he does reach out for his tea, cupping his hands around the warm mug and taking a slow sip of it.

  
"Maybe," he murmurs after a moment.

  
"Maybe what?" asks Leonard, glancing over his shoulder.

  
Klaus shrugs half-heartedly. "Maybe I should work on my powers. I - it sure would be awesome to shove Ben," he jokes, trying to keep things optimistic. Leonard smiles softly, reaching out to cup his cheek.

  
"Is Ben around?" He asks. Klaus' eyes flick to his brother who was still glued by his side, although more quiet than usual. Watching protectively, still trying to process everything himself.

  
"He always is," he laughs lightly, offering him a smile before turning back to Leonard. "After he died, he stuck around with me. I've got, like, a decade worth of frustration that I've not been able to physically shove him."

  
Leonard returns the smile. "I'm sure you'd be able to with some practice," he comments. Klaus glances at his brother. He thinks it'd be nice to be able to touch him, after years of simply having him as a ghostly companion. There'd been many times Ben had tried to comfort him back in darker years, Klaus on some dirty motel bed or in some alleyway, only for his hand to ripple blue and fall through him. It was hard, then, and Klaus would like to take the chance to be able to touch him, if only for a moment.

"You know," Leonard continues, "when my gran passed, she had this lovely little lake house. She left it to me in her will. It's out of town a bit, all by itself next to a lake. There's a town maybe twenty minutes from it with a lovely bakery, but otherwise, it's just... peaceful. If you want, we could go. You could relax, get sober, be away from distractions and temptations. It could be nice. If you want to."

Klaus ponders that, looking up from his tea. Even though the idea of embracing his powers, the very thing he's ran from for the majority of his life, coupled with the idea of getting sober makes his skin crawl, maybe, just maybe, it'd be worth it. Even if it wasn't, Klaus knew of about a dozen easy to reach dealers that would be eager to help him if he gave up.

"Sure," he says, looking down. His lips twitch upwards. "Yeah, alright... I guess it wouldn't hurt. I'll have to go get some clothes and shit, though."

Leonard smiles, reaching out to squeeze his shoulder. "We can leave whenever you want. If you want to get changed, I cleaned that dress you left here. I don't know if I have shoes in your size, but I can check."

Klaus doesn't end up finishing breakfast, but after putting the dishes away they make their way to the living room. Leonard turns the television on and lets Gordon Ramsay shout insults from the speakers, and he seems content to simply have an easy, lazy morning with Klaus, sharing soft touches and kisses until Klaus finally decides he's ready to go and grab a bag of clothes from the academy.

He throws on the sundress, which he's actually grateful for; it's light and airy and doesn't aggravate his wounds. He pulls his jacket on over it and Leonard finds a pair of sandals in his size that he slips on, and then head outside into the morning chill.

"I can phone a taxi," the brunette offers, but Klaus skips out of the house, stretching his arms above his head.

"Ah, walking's good for you!" He replies, waving a hand dismissively. Plus, he thinks the chill in the air will help calm down some of the fire under his skin and keep him awake. Leonard makes his way to Klaus' side, sliding his hand into Klaus', and then they begin the walk.

The air does do him some good. It's helped him compose himself enough that he can shove down the sudden dread he feels when he stares up at the towering academy and shoves the gates open. 

"We'll just go get some clothes and leave," he tells Leonard, though it's more to himself. Leonard smiles at him and nods, and follows him inside.

He's surprised to hear voices inside and he can't help his curiosity, so he steps over to the living room, pulling Leonard with him, and he peers inside. At the other end by the bar sits Diego, Luther and Allison, talking over coffee. However, upon hearing him and noticing him peer inside, they stop talking.

"Sup, stoner boy," greets Diego.

"Nice of you to join us," Luther comments. Allison smiles at him.

"What's going on here?" Klaus asks, raising an eyebrow.

"You'd know if you picked up your phone," states Luther dryly, and Klaus raises a hand to pinch the bridge of his nose.

"It broke, sorry," he shrugs.

"You got Allison's text."

"You must be Leonard!" Allison hurries to interrupt Luther for once, and she slides off the bar stool to walk over and offer the brunette a hand. Then she turns to look at Klaus and she almost jumps.

"Oh my God," she murmurs, "what happened to you?" Her eyes slide over to Leonard accusingly, her eyebrows raised, and Klaus waves his hand.

"No, no, nothing like that," he hurries to say, shaking his head. "Is Five here?"

"He said he had something to do," Luther speaks up, "he'll probably be by later."

Klaus sighs, tipping his head. "Well, tell him that his two little psychos were looking for him," he snorts.

At that, Diego pushes himself to his feet, walking over and prompting Luther to join them all in the doorway.

"What's up with your voice?" He asks, raising an eyebrow. He eyes Leonard suspiciously and Klaus regrets coming here. "Are you trying to say you were _kidnapped_?" He asks, incredulous, and Klaus lets out a sigh.

"You know what? Yeah, I am," he states with a nod. "Don't worry about it. Now, if you don't mind, I have to go get some clothes -"

"We have important things to discuss, Klaus," says Luther, seemingly eager to get back to whatever it was they were talking about.

"And I have important things to do, dear," he bites back. He turns around, then, willing to just walk away and ignore it all, but Luther's hand reaches out to grab Klaus' wrist and pull him back. Klaus pauses, tense, and then he turns back to him and yanks his hand free, pulling it to his chest.

" _Don't_ touch me, asshole," he snaps. For a moment they just stare at each other, and then Klaus reaches for Leonard's hand and guides him upstairs and into his room, closing the door behind them. He leans back with a sigh, hands running down his face.

"I'm sorry about that," he says, cracking his eyes open to look at Leonard. "Luther can be an asshole at times."

Leonard simply smiles. "Don't worry about it. What clothes do you want?"

He doesn't know how long he'll be gone, so he simply fills his only bag in his room full of different kinds of outfits and another pair of shoes. With a moment's hesitation, Klaus reaches for a plush animal on his bed - one not ruined by holes to hide drugs in - and stuffs into his bag before zipping it closed and throwing it over his shoulder. He stands up, looking over to Leonard who was looking around his room.

"I've got everything," he says with a smile, and Leonard nods. Klaus guides him eagerly back downstairs where Diego reaches out to stop him before he can make his way out. He takes a gentle but firm hold of his arm, pulling him away from Leonard with a look telling him to stay put and give them a minute, and then he turns back to Klaus.

"Are you alright, man?" He asks, voice low. Klaus raises an eyebrow.

"I am," he reassures, reaching out to pat his arm. "I am. I - I got away from those, uh, psychos last night. Leonard patched me all up, good as new," he says, flashing a bright smile. Diego presses his lips together, glancing around before glancing at the bag on his shoulder. 

"Where are you going?" He asks.

Klaus keeps the smile up. "Well, surprise surprise, I'm going to get sober, brother," he tells him. He jerks his head back to Leonard. "He's got some little cabin retreat nearby. I'll go get sober, come back a new man, who knows."

Diego raises his eyebrows. He looks... proud, Klaus wants to say. He opens his mouth to say something, but Luther steps out of the living room, eyes narrowed upon spotting his bag.

"Where are you going? We need you here. Five thinks he's got a lead on the apocalypse," he states, chest puffing out as if to try and look more - what? - leader-ish? 

Klaus laughs slightly, waving his hand. "Well, you see, I've got things to do, mon frere. You have fun with chasing geese, I'll be back soon."

Luther reaches out - _again_ \- to put a hand on his shoulder. "You're not doing this right now, Klaus," he says disapprovingly. "Five thinks it's happening soon - as in, days. And now he thinks he might be able to narrow it down to the one person responsible. You don't get to just run away from this like -"

"Like what?" Queries Klaus, leaning forwards with a nasty grin. 

Luther huffs, shifting on the spot. "Like you do with everything, Klaus," he finally states, looking down at him with an expression Reginald had once worn many times. "Not this time."

Klaus laughs, shaking his head. He waves his hand when Diego makes a move to interrupt. 

"Oh, you're so right! I _do_ do that, don't I? Well, I'm sure you won't notice me being gone like I was last night," he hums. Luther lets out a sigh, shaking his head.

"Klaus - that's different -"

"How? How is it different, brother? Other than the fact that I was actually getting the shit beaten out of me, and the fact that they literally," he cuts himself off, huffing, "and no one noticed! So, yeah, I think I'll just run out of your way again, Number One. You've got this. I'd just slow you down like this, obviously. Tell me how it goes or if I need to start digging a grave." He pats Luther's arm with a bitter smile, and then he pulls the bag further up his shoulder, grabs Leonard's hand, and hurries out the door, sandals obnoxiously slapping against the floor as he goes.

He doesn't stop until they're down the street and he can try and flag down a taxi, and he turns to Leonard. Out of words, Leonard simply squeezes his hand.

"One thing at a time," he reminds him. "I've got you."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you enjoyed, feel free to leave a kudos or a comment! I appreciate it all!


	9. Together I Know

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Enjoy!

"Why didn't you tell them?" 

Klaus looks over at Leonard in the driver's seat, raising his eyebrows.

"Tell them what?" He asks. His leg bounces with nervous energy and his fingers drum across his knee.

"You know," Leonard says. "What happened."

"I did."

"Not everything."

Klaus sighs, a hand running over his face. Dying had been weird. It had been swift and immediate, not really giving him time to notice it, per say. Blue had pulled the trigger and everything had simply ceased to exist - no pain, no impact, no sound, no slowly slipping away. He hadn't been able to dwell on the fact that a bullet had founds its way into his brain. Still, there was an awkward ache in his head that felt different to a simple headache. 

"It doesn't matter," he replies with a shrug. "It would just cause a whole lot of shit that I don't want to deal with." He almost had. He'd almost blurted out the fact that he'd literally been shot, had literally died, but he'd cut himself off. He knew it'd bring around a whole other issue; Diego would get mad and set out to find Pink and Blue, Luther would interrogate him, and he'd have to spill everything. He didn't want to imagine the conversation they'd have if he said he thought he had new powers. God, that would just be a shit show.

Leonard glances over at him briefly, looking thoughtful, and then he looks back to the road. "Fair enough." 

Klaus turns to look back out the window, pressing his lips together. He can see Ben sitting in the back from the mirror.

"You should have told them," his brother says. "They can help."

Klaus looks away and he continues.

"I just think that you should talk it out. Five might need your help, too."

Klaus turns to look at him. "It's not like I'm going away forever," he mutters. "I'm gonna get clean and then I'll go back."

Leonard hums, raising an eyebrow. 

"Ben," Klaus clarifies, and the brunette nods in acknowledgement.

Ben shrugs, looking out the car window and Klaus leans back to wave a hand near him. "Hey," he says, "soon, alright?"

His brother gives him a small nod, and Klaus slumps into his seat, looking forwards. Leonard changes the station on the radio, turning the music up, and then his hand rests on Klaus' knee. 

"I'm proud of you," he says softly, "you're doing a good thing."

Klaus covers his hand with his and watches his eyes survey the road carefully. Leonard had said it's about an hour's drive from home and Klaus has never been good at sitting still for long periods of time. He interlocks their fingers, his thumb running over Leonard's knuckles, and rolls down the window to light a cigarette and blow the smoke out the window. It's a nice day at least, the sun peering out between clouds and a gentle breeze. As they drive out of the city and further away they see less cars around, and Klaus thinks it's nice. They had never been allowed to leave the academy as kids, let alone the city, and after moving out he had never thought about leaving either. The change in scenery was nice, and he didn't try to hide his fascination with the long roads and fields. 

"If we turned in here, that's the little town I was speaking about," Leonard says, pointing out of the window to the road leading to a small town. "There's a nice bakery we can go to, and a nice bar, too. They have really good burgers there," he comments, and Klaus hums.

"We could go there," he shrugs. Leonard nods, squeezing his hand, and he continues to speak about the place until they arrive.

It's certainly isolated, no other houses nearby. It's right on the lake, too, surrounding by trees and greenery. Leonard parks his car and they get out, bringing their bags in with them, and Klaus takes a moment to look around. It's a nice place; well decorated, with quite a few photo frames around; mostly of a young Leonard with an older woman, presumably his grandmother. Klaus doesn't dwell on them for too long, following him through to the master bedroom and setting his bag aside. 

"You like it?" asks Leonard, and Klaus hums, looking around the place. It's got a home-y feel to it and all just seems... tranquil. Peaceful, and Klaus likes it. 

"Oh, yeah. It's gorgeous," he nods, setting his hands on his hips. "I've never been out of the city before... it's real nice."

Leonard smiles, running a hand down his arm. "It is," he agrees. "We can stay here as long as you want."

Klaus reaches up to scratch the back of his head. "I mean, I don't know where to start. I'm sober right now, but not, like, clean. Oh, it's going to be horrible," he moans dramatically, tipping his head down into his hands. "I don't know how I did what I did."

Leonard nods in acknowledgement. "You said Ben was around, right?" He asks, looking around the room. Ben stands up from where he was sitting on the edge of the bed, glancing curiously to Leonard. "Maybe, if he wants to, he can help. With the whole, manifesting part of things, at least."

Klaus glances to his brother, raising an eyebrow. Ben shrugs.

"Why not? I'm down."

Klaus voices that for Leonard who smiles and nods. "Awesome," he grins, "we can work on the telekinesis, too. The, uh, other part, I don't think we should try anything with that."

He lets out a small laugh, bobbing his head. "I'm not too eager to kill myself and just hope I get sent back, either," he snorts. Leonard snickers, nodding in agreement.

"Nor am I. How about we go for a walk then?" He offers a hand and Klaus takes it and follows him downstairs. 

"Let's do it," he grins. They step outside and Leonard leads the way around the house and towards the lake nearby. It's surprisingly peaceful, in all honesty. To just be away from the busy city streets, away from the academy, it felt like a weight had been lifted off his shoulders.

"Your siblings said something about an apocalypse," comments Leonard, glancing up at him. Klaus heaves a sigh and shakes his head in amusement.

"Yeah, that's... that," he laughs. 

"Can I ask what that's about?"

"Honestly? I have no idea," Klaus says, "Five, he came back from the future a few days ago. Said there was an apocalypse that was due to happen soon. He didn't know exactly when or who or what causes it, but he's pretty damn determined to find it out. Apparently he's narrowed the 'who' down to a few people, which is great, I guess. I don't really know much else." He shrugs, kicking a stone at his feet. "I don't really care, either. The others can handle that kind of stuff."

Ben gives him a look and Klaus shrugs again. 

"Sounds fun," jokes Leonard, and Klaus snorts.

"The joys of the Umbrella Academy," he mutters bitterly. "It's insane. And - fuck, I'm sorry about earlier. I should have expected Luther to be all bitchy," he sighs, shaking his head. 

"It was kind of uncalled for," Leonard comments.

"Me and him are just best buds," drawls Klaus sarcastically. "I - just - we never got along. He always wanted to be daddy's favourite, his little soldier, and he never liked me 'cause I always fought with dear old dad, and I was 'wasting my potential' with drugs and shit. He was the first person to stop coming whenever I got in trouble, too. He came for the first overdose, but gave up by the second; and I get it's not easy. I was a little shit and virtually threw my life away. But still. You know, I got sober once by myself. Had an overdose and they had to put me into a coma for a few days, and after that I got sober. Then we had some mission and I actually joined, and they - they just didn't want me there. I'd get in the way, you know, 'cause I'd either be too fidgety and thinking about my next fix or I'd already be high as fuck. And you know what? I left and got high as fuck. Even sober, I just can't be anything more than a junkie. I dug that hole for myself, I know, but it doesn't matter. And Luther - all of them - they think it's just for fun. For the shits and giggles of it all. They never really understood what it was like, the ghosts. They never cared to try to understand."

Klaus takes in a deep breath, his nails digging into the palm of his hand. He clears his dry throat, cheeks burning. "Sorry, I just..." he mumbles. 

Leonard slips his hand out of Klaus', hands going to cup his cheeks and forcing him to look at him.

"You're allowed to feel angry, Klaus," he tells him, voice low and soft. 

"I - I'm not _angry_ ," Klaus stammers.

"You have the right to be." His thumb ghosts over his cheekbone, his breath warm over him. "Let yourself _feel_ something, Klaus. You're allowed to respect yourself. You're allowed to stand up for yourself." 

Klaus presses his lips together and closes his eyes to escape Leonard's unrelenting gaze. Leonard slips one hand down, taking his hand, and he guides him close to the lake's edge. Then he sits down on the grass and pulls Klaus down with him, pulling him into his side.

"Let's have a chat," he says. Klaus lets his eyes roam out over the lake in front of them, wind rippling across its surface. He can see a few ducks far off on the surface. 

"I just... I don't know. I get that I dug myself that hole, y'know. They don't really have to trust me, after like, over a decade worth of drug addiction and unpredictability, but still. It hurts when I actually do try. I don't _want_ to be untrustworthy, or the family fuck up. I don't _want_ to be the one that they all look at and just give up on," he sighs, rubbing his eyes. "Too deep in it I guess, fuck it."

"You don't have to be anything like that," Leonard says, "and it doesn't matter what they think. If they really cared, they'd be eager to help you. But you don't need them, Klaus. You can do whatever you want, be whatever you want. You don't need them hounding you for your past."

Klaus sighs, slumping against Leonard's side. Leonard's fingers warm a spot of exposed skin where his shirt rode up and a breeze pushes his hair back out his face. A bird flies over head. Leonard's lips ghost his cheek. 

He understands why his siblings don't see him as trustworthy or useful, per say. He understands it, really. He's dug a whole for him a decade deep - closer to two, depending on when one thought he began to act out - full of substance abuse, theft, disappearances, lack of communication, no cooperation, and lies. He accepts that. But, to even be ignored like that when sober, or trying to be, or for people to brush him off when he's telling the truth because he 'just wants attention' - mentioning Ben's ghost, any danger on missions, his own theories and ideas - it still _hurts_. He thinks that they'll never really believe him until he's spent a decade sober and clean and has his own business and house, and even then he's willing to bet that Luther _still_ wouldn't believe him.

Perhaps it would be better if they understood Klaus' powers, but they never tried to understand and Klaus couldn't even begin to explain it. They couldn't see his powers and so they couldn't judge it truthfully, and they assumed it wasn't as bad as it actually was. 

He shakes his head minutely, opening his mouth and stammering over his words before he eventually just closes his mouth again and sighing. 

"I just don't know what to do," he mutters. 

"Focus on one thing at a time," Leonard says, "focus on one thing at a time. The past's the past, it doesn't matter." His fingers run out along his jaw, tipping his head to look at him. He leans forwards, catching his lips in a kiss, and Klaus melts. Eventually, he pulls back and Klaus rests his head against his shoulder. He watches a duck bob in and out of the water in front of them.

"Hey, Klaus?" calls Leonard, and Klaus hums.

"I love you."

Klaus' heart skips a beat and he looks up. Leonard's still watching the ducks, though he looks down to meet Klaus' gaze after a moment. He raises his eyebrows. 

Klaus clears his throat, cheeks heating up. "Uh, yeah. Yeah. I love you too."

 

 

 

 

"I just don't know what I'm doing!" laughs Klaus, shaking his head. The knife on the table in front of him remains completely untouched. "Like, am I supposed to just stare at it? Do I use my hands? How does telekinesis work?"

Leonard snorts. "Just focus," he says. "Imagine it happening."

Klaus huffs, forcing tension out of his shoulders. He turns his gaze back to the knife. He's just trying to bend it, or throw it across the room - something - but so far, nothing has happened. His eyebrows draw together and he glares at the utensil, hands balling into shaking fists. They've been at it for almost an hour now, surely, and he's almost frustrated that nothing's happening.

"Maybe it's the situation," Ben offers with a shrug. "When it happened last time, you were in danger. You were under pressure."

Klaus raises his eyebrows. "Are you trying to tell me to go ask someone to stab me so I can be under enough pressure to throw the knife away without touching it?" He asks incredulously. "You're beginning to sound like dad."

Ben snorts, playfully rolling his eyes. "I'm just saying." He holds his hands up in defence, pursing his lips.

"What did he say?" asks Leonard, and Klaus takes a step back from the table with a sigh.

"He said he thinks I might need to be under pressure to do it, or something. Excuse me if the idea of another murder attempt doesn't exactly thrill me," he grunts. He runs a hand down his face. "Let's leave it a while, yeah?" He turns away from the table and waves a hand vaguely. He hears Leonard follow after him.

"Klaus," the brunette says, and Klaus turns around. Leonard points up and Klaus follows the gesture, looking up. There, stuck in the ceiling, is the knife. 

"Holy shits," laughs Klaus, stepping closer to look at it and the bare spot on the table. He looks at Leonard. "Did I do that?"

Leonard's lips twitch upwards. "Yeah... Yeah, you did."

Klaus throws his hands up in celebration, grinning. The book on the table goes flying upwards too, and both he and Leonard duck as the book crashes to the floor. Klaus peers out over his arm-shield he'd made over his face, staring at the object on the floor, and he laughs breathily.

"Oh, shit, I did that." 

His eyes flick over as Leonard steps closer and he reaches out excitedly to pull  Klaus to his chest. 

"You're doing great," he enthuses, and Klaus hardly has a chance to think of a response before Leonard takes his face in his hands and kisses him with surprise force. Klaus throws an arm around Leonard's neck, grinning against his lips and returning the kiss just as eagerly. 

Leonard pulls back for a moment, looking Klaus up and down. "You're doing great. So good, baby."

 

 

 

He manages to do it again. This time, he doesn't just throw an object carelessly around, although they do swap the knives out for a spoon instead. He manages to hold it in the air for several seconds before it rocks like a boat on water and clatters down to the table. His hand shakes with the strain but Leonard claps a hand on the back of his neck with a grin and Klaus perks up. 

 

 

 

While Leonard cooks dinner for them, Klaus sits at the table facing Ben, playing patty-cake in an attempt to try and get their hands to touch. Ben seems as involved in it as he does, eager to try and help make some progress with his powers. Klaus thinks the two of them look way too intense and determined for a simple game of patty-cake; eyebrows drawn together, lips in a tight line, thrusting their hands together only for Ben to shimmer blue and they never connect.

When a plate of rice and curry slides in front of him, Klaus startles, looking up. He smiles at Leonard, slumping back in his seat.

"No luck yet," he sighs, reaching for the fork. "Thank you."

Leonard's hand lingers on his back. "You'll get there," he says with a smile, and then he slides into a chair and they turn to their food. 

Klaus' stomach's been flipping all day, appetite mostly gone, but he tries to eat as much as he can before it sits too heavily in his stomach and he taps out, washing everything down with a glass of water. He helps clean the dishes and sets them aside to dry. As he does, Leonard steps up behind him and wraps his arms around his waist, chin setting on Klaus' shoulder.

"I'm proud of you," Leonard murmurs, ducking his head down to kiss his neck. Klaus smiles, hands settling over Leonard's on his stomach. 

"Thank you," he replies softly. The brunette grins, continuing with his trail of kisses up and down his neck. 

"How are you feeling?" He asks, and Klaus presses his lips together.

"Tired," he admits. "I think I can smell a line of cocaine just a few miles away..."

" _Klaus_ ," Leonard scolds with a snort. Klaus lips twitch upwards and he snickers, turning around to face him. He drapes his arms over his shoulders and cocks his head to the side.

"I'm joking, I'm joking," he dismisses. Leonard leans forwards again and Klaus meets him half way, pulling one hand back to hold his cheek. He lets his eyes flutter closed and leans into him.

"Do you really love me?" He asks in a murmur, cracking his eyes open to look at Leonard. 

He blinks. "I really do."  


 

 

 

 

"It might be too heavy," Klaus sighs, tongue dashing out across his lips, eyeing the small kayak on the lake a few metres in front of them. 

"Just try and move it a little," Leonard replies, "not lift it."

Klaus sighs, but he turns his gaze determinedly back at it with a small nod. He takes in a deep breath and closes his eyes, trying to focus on how he felt when he had lifted the spoon earlier. His hands reach out and he tries to ignore how dumb and movie-esque he feels. His fingers twitch and he focuses on the energy that thrums like bees in his bones. For a moment, he wonders if he had passed out, feeling light headed and weightless, and he almost misses both Ben and Leonard calling his name. He cracks his eyes open and looks at the lake and the little pier leading out, a few metres below him. 

A few meters below him.

Klaus' eyes blow wide and he throws his hands out. Whatever focus he had was gone and he went crashing back down. He saw Leonard reaching out for him but he missed him and the pier, save for his ankle hitting the wood, and he went into the water.

Reginald had taught them to swim. Of course he had; he would've thought they were stupid if they couldn't swim, and swim well at that. Diego, for a reason that he had never spoken about, had always hated water. He'd get out of swimming or going near large bodies of water whenever he could, and at first they - mainly Five and Klaus - had made fun of him for it, but now, Klaus understands. He understands why he hated water. 

The impact and freezing temperature shocks Klaus, paralysing his body. His vision blurs with the murky water and he can see the world wave and ripple above him, though everywhere else was simply, never ending inky darkness. He opens his mouth only for water to rush in and he panics, long limbs lashing out.  _Blue's hand pushes him down, holds him away from the air only a few inches away from his face, and he can't do anything about it. His lungs burn and although he knows he can't breathe underwater, the urge to breathe in is overwhelming nonetheless._

Bubbles burst around his face and something wraps around his waist and he's pulled upwards. His head breaks through the surface and he gasps for air, hands lashing out and coming into contact with the wooden pier, and he clutches onto it. Leonard's hands push him up until he can pull himself back up onto the pier, and Leonard joins him quickly. 

"Are you alright?" Leonard asks, teeth chattering. Klaus wraps his arms around himself, trying to calm his breathing. He watches the water rhythmically move in front of them, peaceful and calm, reflecting the stars and the moon above them as if nothing had happened. Shakily, Klaus nods his head, and when Leonard stands up so does Klaus. They drag water back into the house, heading to the bathroom, and Leonard runs the shower rather than the bath. He discards his clothes, leaving them in a wet pile in the bathtub, and then helps Klaus out of his.

"We're freezing," he states, holding Klaus' arms. "And dirty. We'll do this, dry off, and I'll light the fire downstairs, yeah?" He coaxes, cold fingers nudging him in the direction of the shower. Klaus nods, gritting his teeth to try and stop them from chattering, and he steps under the hot spray of the shower with Leonard, surprised at how much space there is in the shower. He relaxes as he starts to warm up, turning his face away from the water and closing his eyes. 

When they've stopped shaking as much, Leonard turns the water off and wraps a towel around his waist before handing one to a grateful Klaus who does the same. He guides the way downstairs and Klaus slumps into the couch, watching Leonard mess around with the fireplace. It takes a few minutes before it catches and the brunette returns to Klaus' side, sitting next to him. 

"Are you alright?" He asks, placing a hand on his knee. "You really scared me there." 

Klaus drops his head into his hands. "I fucking hate water," he moans, shaking his head. It makes anger bubble up under his skin, makes his nails dig into the palms of his hands. He enjoyed his baths, used to love spending way too long in too-hot water, listening to his own music and trying to drown the ghosts out. The idea that the moment water rises up past his shins could make him freak him out makes him feel both angry and sad. 

Leonard reaches out, running a hand down his arm. "Have you always?" He asks, and Klaus snorts, shaking his head.

"No. No, I loved it. Those... ugh, those two psychos. They, uh. They filled up a bathtub, held me under it until I passed out. I... I panicked," he murmurs, glaring at the flames flickering in front of them.

"I'm sorry," he says softly. "You've been through so much."

Klaus closes his eyes, heaving a sigh. "The lovely life of Number Four," he snorts, shaking his head. Leonard's fingers card through his hair softly. They fall into silence, soaking up the heat in the living room.

"You levitated," Leonard comments quietly.

"I fucking hate that," Klaus says with a sharp laugh. "God, I'm all over the place."

Leonard snickers, rubbing his thumb over the lingering red marks around Klaus' throat. Klaus pauses.

"Does it look like it's gonna scar?" He asks quietly, and Leonard's fingers trace over the marks. 

"I don't know," the brunette admits. "Hopefully not. I don't think they're deep enough as cuts to do that, but... maybe for a few days, I don't know."

Klaus lets out a sigh, reaching up to touch the marks. "Well," he says, "at least I'll look badass."

Leonard snorts. His fingers twirl short, wet strands of hair at the base of his neck and then dance over his neck. "I'm sure you will," he agrees with a smile. Klaus closes his eyes and tips his head back. He feels utterly drained for the day, whether that's from managing to use his new found powers, even just the little bit that he had managed, or from his sudden swim. He doesn't know, nor really care. Leonard's hand plays absentmindedly with his hair and the fire burns hot, warming him up. Ben's sitting by the window, looking outside, and Klaus feels good. The ghosts in the academy aren't here, nor are Blue and Pink, or Luther and his judging eyes that look too much like Reginald. Even if he's physically exhausted, he can overlook the incident that just happened. Outside, trees sway gently in the wind. He decides he did make the right decision. He wouldn't be missed at home, but he doesn't miss the academy either.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> After this part, things are gonna really pick up, so enjoy the 'innocence' while it lasts. If you enjoyed, feel free to leave a kudos or a comment, I appreciate it all. Thank you for reading!

**Author's Note:**

> If you like the idea of this, feel free to leave a kudos and a comment, thank you!


End file.
